Wednesdays at the Warehouse returns

Warehouse 421. Courtesy of Warehouse 421. 

Abu Dhabi's cultural hub Warehouse421 has revamped its week-night schedule and released a new line up of diverse events to take place every Wednesday evening until the end of the year.

There will be talks featuring artists and designers, on topics such as community, critique and innovation as well as workshops to learn hands-on skills.

The films are as varied as they are interesting with a programme put together by Cinema Akil. Highlights include a documentary about an ageing Emirati fishing community on the Um Al Quwain Creek and an animation about a woman living in the Syrian countryside.

Progamme is as follows:

• Wednesday, September 20. 17:00 - 20:00

2D/3D Form-making in Drawing and Sculpture: Participants in this hands-on workshop will experiment with the ongoing relationship between two-dimensional and three-dimensional processes to create unique forms and produce drawings and objects. A range of drawing, print-making and sculptural techniques will be employed to reinterpret found images and objects.

Instructors: Dina Khorchid & Rand Abdul Jabbar, Artists and Designers. Alumni, Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship (SEAF) Age Group: 16+ Admission Fee: AED 40

• Wednesday, October 4. 17:00 – 20:00 & Wednesday, October 11. 17:00 – 20:00

The Art of Re(Creation) Working with Upcycled Plastics: Participants in this two-part workshop will work together to repurpose potential waste products – plastic water bottles – into a one-of-a-kind piece of public art. The first session will introduce different types of polymers and invite participants to commence the process of transforming plastic bottles. The second session, will provide insights into the recycling process for plastics before inviting participants to add their transformed plastic bottles to a temporary piece of public art that will change with the sun, wind and shadows. Participants will need to attend both days and will need to collect as many clear, empty, plastic water bottles of different sizes and shapes as they can for use in the art project. 

Instructors: Hashel Lamki, Artist, Alumnus, Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship (SEAF) Age Group: All ages Admission Fee: AED 40

• Wednesday, 25th October. 19:30 – 22:00 - Film Screenings. Free admission

Suleima (2014). Directed by: Jalal Al Maghout Syria | PG | Animation | Arabic | 15 mins. An animated documentary film, based on an actual story of a woman from Damascus countryside. Suleima evokes some of childhood memories, when her thoughts refusing injustice had arisen. The film is a portrait of Suleima, and a monitoring of intellectual and social shifts she experiences during the events. The visual environment has been presented graphically fully of sharp contrasts, and imaginary mixed with reality.

Taramontane (2016) Directed by: Vatche Boulghourjian. Lebanon, UAE, France | PG | Drama | Arabic | 105 mins. Rabih, a blind musician, travels across rural Lebanon in search of a record of his own birth. He meets people on the far fringes of society who tell their own stories and open further questions about his origins. Descending into a void at the heart of his existence, Rabih encounters a nation incapable of telling his or its own narrative. 

• Wednesday, 8th November 2017. 18:30 – 20:00

Barber & Osgerby Masterclass: Decoding the Process Of Design: This masterclass provides an in-depth look at the process of design from internationally-acclaimed design duo, Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby. Together, they will talk about their passion for design, their processes and methods, and offer personal insights into some of their most iconic projects, which include the Loop Table, the Tip Ton chair and the torch for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Speakers: Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby, Designers. Admission Fee: Free

• Wednesday, 22th November 2017. 18:30 – 20:00

Master Critique: SEAF Cohort 4: The Role of Constructive Critique: As part of the Community & Critique: SEAF 2016/17 Cohort 4 show, Warehouse421 will host a moderated panel featuring artists from the Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship (SEAF), followed by an open discussion of their work. Fellows will introduce their projects and answer questions from the public. The session demonstrates the role that constructive critique can play in illuminating and refining the often-solitary art-making process. Speakers: Fortune Penniman, Hashel Lamki, Malda Smadi and Sheikha Al Ketbi, Artists, Alumni, Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship (SEAF). Moderator: Munira Al Sayegh, Programs Officer, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. Admission Fee: Free

• Wednesday, 29th November. 19:30 – 22:00. Film screenings. Admission Free

Shrimp (2016) Directed by: Yaser Alneyadi. UAE | PG 15 | Drama | Arabic | 26 mins. A group of people are brought together under absurd circumstances and they express their darkest, most twisted desires.

Mimosas (2016). Directed by: Oliver Laxe. Morocco, Spain, Qatar, France | PG | Drama | Arabic | 96 mins. A caravan escorts an elderly and dying Sheikh through the Moroccan Atlas. His last wish is to be buried with his close ones. But death does not wait. The caravaners, fearful of the mountain, refuse to continue transporting the corpse. Saïd and Ahmed, two rogues traveling with the caravan, say they know the way and promise to take the corpse to its destiny. In another world, Shakib is chosen to travel to the mountains with a mission: to help the improvised caravaners.

• Wednesday, 6th December. 17:00 – 20:00

The Mold and the Beautiful: Mold Making and Assemblage: Participants in this hands-on workshop will learn a diverse range of practical sculptural techniques including mold making, casting, scratch building, wood working and carving.  The workshop will encourage experimentation by combining materials and images in unexpected ways, and each participant will leave the session having produced their own small-scale multimedia sculpture. Instructors: Tony Bragg, Studio Manager, Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship. Age Group: 16+. Admission Fee: AED 40

• Wednesday, 20th December. 19:30 – 22:00. Film Screenings. Admission Free.

The Purple Field (2015). Directed by: Nasri Hajjaj, Palestine | PG | Drama | Arabic, German | 18 mins. Tamer, a Palestinian-Syrian, flees war-torn Syria and ends up in Austria after a three-month journey through Europe. He waits for the government's response to his asylum application.

Sounds of the Sea (2014). Directed by: Nujoom Al Ghanem, UAE | PG | Documentary | Arabic | 93 mins. Sounds of the Sea tells the story of an ageing Emirati fishing community on the Um Al Quwain Creek. Once famed for their sea songs, the community is slowly being forgotten. Despite their age, the fishermen hope for one more sea voyage with Saif Al Zibadi, to revive the songs of this legendary sea singer. As more immigrants are hired to replace the ageing fisherman, the newcomers sing songs of their own, replacing both the fisherman and the traditional Emirati sea songs.

 For more info visit Warehouse 421 website