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8,500 register for Colour Run in Capital on March 29
8,500 register for Colour Run in Capital on March 29 Silvia Radan / 20 March 2014 Participants of all ages are encouraged to run, walk or dance the five-kilometre track, passing through several colour stations to celebrate healthiness and happiness. . The first-ever Colour Run will be held in Abu Dhabi on Yas island on March 29. According to the organiser, IMG, it is not just a first for the UAE capital, but also it is the first time it is happening on a Formula1 racetrack. Dubbed as the “happiest 5 km on the planet”, Colour Run is a paint race that celebrates healthiness, happiness and individuality. There is no trophy, no timing and no actual racing involved in the run. Instead, participants of all ages are encouraged to run, walk or dance their five-kilometre track, passing through several colour stations, where vibrant coloured powder is thrown over them just for fun. At the finish line, all participants are rewarded with ever more red, blue and various other colours. “The Colour Run fun doesn’t have to end with the Finish Festival. Located just 45 minutes from Dubai, Yas Island and our official partners have everything you need to escape the everyday, and add some colour to what will make a spectacular weekend,” said Greg Sproule, managing director of IMG Middle East. On the day, Yas Waterworld will offer 50 per cent discount and Yas Viceroy hotel has a preferential rate via the official website thecolorrun.ae/Abu-Dhabi, as well as a free two nights stay through its Facebook page. With thousands of people expected to take part, Abu Dhabi Motors has just announced it is joining the part by launching its all-new Mini Hatch at next weekend’s Colour Run. The run will actually start when the Mini Hatch, wrapped in official branding, will lead waves of Colour Runners over the start line at the circuit. MINI will also sponsor the ‘Red Colour Station’, one of four spots along the course, where volunteers will shower runners with coloured powder. In the lead-up to the event, fans will have the opportunity to win a Mini for the weekend if they spot one of the three branded cars driving around key Abu Dhabi locations and send a picture to Mini’s social media channels. Colour Runners will also have the chance to win a Mini for the weekend on the day by taking the “craziest photo” at the Mini photo booth. Only launched in January 2012, Colour Run started with 50 events that year and moved up to over 100 runs in 2013. This year, at least 250 runs are projected, involving some three million participants worldwide. The Colour Run presented by Activelife burst into the Middle East in December 2013, when the sold-out Dubai event saw 9,000 Colour Runners dance, walk and run their way around the course. Among them, the youngest “runner” was a one-year-old and the oldest a 73-year-old. Worldwide, the oldest Colour Runner was 97-year-old Hilda from Louisville. Meant as a happy event, some 94 people took advantage of the occasion to propose marriage to their loved ones! During the Abu Dhabi run, about 3,000 kilogrammes of colour will be doused over runners. The organiser, though, assure participants all colours are 100 per cent natural, safe and food grade quality with the main ingredient being corn starch. After the event, the clean-up will take about two hours, using an industrial air blower and the stand-by sweep-up team. The 8,500 tickets are nearly sold out, but organisers are considering increasing the numbers. Each ticket is Dh140 and includes a pack with an event T-shirt, sweatband and colour pack. In keeping with The Colour Run’s tenet of giving back to the community, $1 from every registration will be donated to charity through Just Giving. silvia@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Dubai opens window to priceless Islamic legacy
Dubai opens window to priceless Islamic legacy Staff Reporter / 19 March 2014 Offers preview of Aga Khan Museum, the first Islamic art showcase in N. America. Michelangelo. Leonardo da Vinci. Velazquez. Cezanne. Van Gogh. Sir Joshua Reynolds. Jackson Pollock. Name the artists famed worldwide and you won’t find a single Islamic artist among them, that is, not one known to the man on the street. “Most people can’t name a single Muslim artist. I find this terrible,” says Henry Kim, curator and historian. Shaikh Nahyan (3rd from R) at the preview of the Aga Khan Museum at the Ismaili centre in Dubai. He is flanked by Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of The Emirates Group, Arif Lalani, Ambassador of Canada to the UAE, and other officials — KT Photos by Juidin Bernarrd Though Islamic art has been flourishing for over 1,400 years spread over a vast canvas stretching through Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, its amazing beauty and diversity is yet to gain the recognition it deserves. But come autumn and the lacuna will be addressed as the Aga Khan Museum, the first museum in North America devoted solely to Islamic art, opens in Toronto. The sprawling museum, designed by Japanese Fumihiko Maki, will display over 1,000 artefacts from the personal collection of the Aga Khan and his family. “It will be a proud destination for Muslim and non-Muslim visitors, showcasing the art, science, music and philosophy of Islamic culture,” adds Arif Lalani, Canadian ambassador to the UAE and Canada’s Special Envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. A tour of the Aga Khan Museum The Aga Khan Museum, says Henry Kim, its director and CEO, would promote art and culture of the Muslim world and build bridges between cultures. Besides the museum, the three-pronged project also has a park designed by Vladimir Djurovic and an Ismaili Centre planned by Charles Correa. Nearly 1,700sq m space has been kept aside for both permanent and temporary exhibitions. The objects on display are as various as the Holy Quran in different scripts, illustrations of classics like Firdausi’s Shah-Nameh (The Book of Kings), carpets, jade ware and exquisite ceramic art that shows the influence of China. Muslim explorers and navigators left an indelible mark on history. The museum pays a tribute to them, especially through its display of astrolabes, the navigating tool used by sailors of all religions to find their way by calculating planetary positions. The preview has an exquisite bronze astrolabe made in the 18th century by Qazi Ali of Iran. A special place will be given to the section of art pieces called In search of artists. The art here is all signed by the artists and Kim hopes it will help familiarise the audience with Muslim artists as well. There will also be a Garden of Ideas section, focusing on different countries. Since the Aga Khan Museum plans to bring the sights, rhythms and sounds of Islamic culture as well, Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki has created a state-of-the-art elegant auditorium that can seat 350 people and will host regular performances. sudeshna@khaleejtimes.com With Dubai being a cultural hub, the museum chose the emirate to offer a preview on Tuesday. “I wish that we were gathering today to open the Aga Khan Museum in the United Arab Emirates,” said a wistful Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, in his keynote address at the event. Islamic art, with its astonishing plurality, is an important part of the heritage of mankind. “The museum preserves important artefacts of our Islamic heritage,” Shaikh Nahyan said. “They communicate our history, culture, and art. Those artefacts convey a clear sense of Muslim diversity, a diversity that deserves global prominence.” “Culture and art are important for peace, understanding and harmony in the world,” Shaikh Nahyan added. A deeper appreciation of art and culture leads to goodwill and friendship, building bridges between diverse religions, cultures and backgrounds for a peaceful and prosperous world. Shaikh Nahyan also referred to the 88th Ogden memorial lecture delivered last month by the Aga Khan at the US Ivy League Brown University to emphasise why the world needs to retain its diversity: When people stop learning and understanding each other’s cultures, it leads to misunderstanding and hostility. Today’s world, being inter-connected, requires a thoughtful, renewed commitment to pluralism. “We understand the wisdom of that response,” Shaikh Nahyan said. “We are a cosmopolitan society bound by mutual respect and understanding… Art allows us to celebrate the principles and values that unite us across national and cultural boundaries and highlights our common values and pursuits.” He also quoted the UAE President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan: “The United Arab Emirates has relied, and will continue to rely, on the rich and diverse contributions of its true wealth, its people, to guarantee its prosperity.” Several factors contributed to make Dubai ideal for the preview. The host of the event, the Ismaili Centre Dubai, has been organising a series of cultural programmes since its inception in 2008 to share knowledge with other communities. Also, the preview comes during Art Dubai, the annual event drawing VIPs and art connoisseurs to select sites where art displays are held. Finally, as the Canadian ambassador said, Canada admires the UAE’s diversity and the Dubai preview would introduce the Aga Khan Museum to the Middle East. While Toronto would have the Islamic art museum, Abu Dhabi would have the Louvre Abu Dhabi and both countries would be home to world-class museums. sudeshna@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Dubai Design District woos top brands
Dubai Design District woos top brands Amanda Fisher / 19 March 2014 Dubai Design District, whose first phase opens in Jan 2015, makes a presentation before international delegates. Less than a year away from opening the first phase of Dubai Design District, the city’s latest industry hub is on a charm offensive to woo international brands. Dozens of British designers and brand owners are in town this week, as part of an international United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) ‘GREAT’ campaign to further ties with key industries in eight countries around the world, including China and Hong Kong. The designers, who paid to be a part of the delegation in an effort to expand their business in the Middle East, had a presentation by Dubai Design District (d3) top brass, including managing director Lindsay Miller. This follows a delegation from Italy last week, while designers from Lebanon are set for similar treatment in the coming days. But the exercise is aimed equally at small-time start-up designers as the elite international fashion houses, with the Dh4-billion development expected to house 10,000 people in the first phase — which will see nine buildings open by January 2015. Women’s wear designer Cristina Sabaiduc is hoping to grow the eponymous boutique label that she launched 18 months ago. Currently based in London’s trendy Shoreditch area — aptly the district that d3 has taken inspiration from in its plans — Sabaiduc says she sees a market for her fashion in Dubai. “I focus on a lot of big shawls and scarves and beautiful silks, and I think there’s a lot of demand for that in the Middle East.” While she was not yet selling in this region, Sabaiduc said she was in talks with people in Dubai’s fashion industry. She said while d3 would not be the same as a design district like Shoreditch that evolved organically, if the development was done well it would thrive like other design hotspots of the world. “If you provide the right facilities and operations, there’s a hunger for it here and I think that will almost overtake the fact that it’s been created…it could definitely work.” D3’s tax-free benefits, which guarantee 50 years without needing to pay taxes, seemed to be the major attraction to others interested in branching out in the region. Lascivious lingerie creative director and founder Chloe Hamblen said the tax-free provisions drew the attention of most brands at the presentation — all of whom were looking to expand in the region. “The reason why we have taken the time to come out is because that’s what we’re aiming to do.” Others present said having the design, art, fashion and luxury sectors combined in one place — along with other services like marketing and PR — would be a draw card, while the tax-free provisions may be the impetus needed to take the risk. UKTI Retail Sector Specialist Fred Bassnett, who is leading delegates in the UKTI’s UAE campaign this week, told Khaleej Times the country was one of the top three markets for UK brands, along with the US and China/Hong Kong. “There’s only London in the world that has the selection of brands that we have. Here in Dubai it’s seen clearly by the UK industry…as a market that they want to be involved in because of the high profile and the actual spending profile of not only the local populace, but also the tourism populace.” He said initiatives like the UKTI’s were “hugely important” in helping the UK economy recover after taking a hammering during the global economic recession. But brands like Sabaiduc’s say they are worried about the costs involved being part of d3 and feel they may not have a space there. Subaiduc said in an ideal world, she’d be able to open a second office in d3, but it was more realistic her foray into the MENA market would initially be limited to exhibition spaces and fashion shows. “For small businesses, it’s a big gamble (to open an office overseas).” However, D3’s Miller says there is a place for designers of all sizes. “We do have specific start-up packages and we have facilities to consider all kinds of elements of the value chain.” While the bigger brands would likely be established in the exclusive real estate in d3, for example with waterfront views, there were offices of different sizes in different locations to suit varied budgets. She said there was also the option of sharing working spaces, facilities and equipment such as 3D printers with other companies. “It’s important for this zone to have all segments, not just luxury and not just emerging and we’ve reflected that in the pricing and the product design.” Miller said the reason d3 was targeting international brands was to engender “cross-pollination” of the kind that would lead to the creation of unique designs, as well as collaboration. “If we can bring all of this talent together, design at the end of the day is a suggestive product…it’s really about what the consumer appetite is for your product and that’s a lot about bringing different designer viewpoints together.” But courting international brands may also drive up competition for local designers wanting a presence there. While Miller would not reveal how much space had already been contracted to particular companies, she said there had been 550 different approaches in the six months since the initiative was announced. She said she expected to be at full capacity by early next year, around the launch date. amanda@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
