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aje.me
Art scenes in the Arab world should reflect and anticipate the art that will emerge from these historical times.
Showing posts with label Abu Dhabi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abu Dhabi. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Art as the politics of the impossible
Monday, September 12, 2011
A lot of GOOD NEWS from the Middle East!
A lot of GOOD NEWS (all we usually hear is the bad) from the Middle East being posted on en.v :
About en.v:
Through a multi-faceted approach, The en.v Initiative seeks to further and support the research and development of individuals and organizations in the fields of education, health, environment, economics, business, culture, human rights, etc. Furthermore, The en.v Initiative attempts to employ an innovative attitude and methodology that will communicate itself to all sections of society without bias to age, gender, ethnicity, race, or nationality.
We ultimately hope to nurture the development of a new kind of citizen in the Arab world – one who is alert, aware and conscious of the effects his or her decisions and actions have on society at large and on the environment as a whole.
http://www.envearth.com/index.php?file=c-static&page=About_Us
www.envearth.com
Forty years ago the Arabian Oryx was
extinct in the wild. Today this large antelope, native to the Arabian
Peninsula, is back from the brink with 1,000 animals across five Middle
Eastern countries, thanks to a breeding program and series of
re-introductions. It is an unprecedented conservation succe...
www.envearth.com
Despite the tough conditions, many young
entrepreneurs are taking advantage of the new-found optimism to start
businesses and help build their country's economic future. Cairo's
notorious traffic inspired Mostafa Elbeltagy and four friends, all aged
between 23 and 30, to start Bey2ollak, a smartphones...
www.envearth.com
A farm in the Mujib Biosphere Reserve has
started producing organic crops and herbs with the aim of providing a
model that encourages water-efficient techniques and the use of
chemical-free fertilisers in agriculture. Spread over 10 dunums, the
model farm is cultivating medicinal herbs and vegetable...
www.envearth.com
Qatar's new mosques will be built according
to environment friendly models, a special committee appointed to review
designs of the religious buildings has said. The panel formed to review
designs of all mosques in the country is studying 18 model designs to
select the most appropriate to meet the re...
www.envearth.com
Come September 17 you will be able to get a
wide range of organic fruit and vegetables, all grown locally, at the
click of a mouse or at a weekly farmers' market. Making this possible is
a Dubai company called RIPE which will supply fresh produce at various
points, including twice weekly at farmers ...
www.envearth.com
More signs that the Gulf States are slowly
recognizing the importance of food sustainability. Qatar has announced
plans to establish 1,400 farms to improve its food production and also
train more people to work in the agricultural sector to improve
productivity. Existing farms were working at only ...
and more: http://www.envearth.com/index.php
Through a multi-faceted approach, The en.v Initiative seeks to further and support the research and development of individuals and organizations in the fields of education, health, environment, economics, business, culture, human rights, etc. Furthermore, The en.v Initiative attempts to employ an innovative attitude and methodology that will communicate itself to all sections of society without bias to age, gender, ethnicity, race, or nationality.
We ultimately hope to nurture the development of a new kind of citizen in the Arab world – one who is alert, aware and conscious of the effects his or her decisions and actions have on society at large and on the environment as a whole.
http://www.envearth.com/index.php?file=c-static&page=About_Us
Friday, March 18, 2011
Artists boycott Guggenheim project
More than 130 artists, curators and writers have signed a petition demanding that the museum improve working conditions
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| Visitors view the Saadiyat Island Cultural District model at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi in 2007. The new Guggenheim museum is in the right foreground |
The petition, published online and addressed to Richard Armstrong, the director of the Guggenheim Foundation and its New York museum, says: “Human rights violations are currently occurring on Saadiyat Island, the location of the new museum.” It cites a 2009 report by the advocacy group Human Rights Watch, which says it “has documented a cycle of abuse that leaves migrant workers deeply indebted, poorly paid, and unable to defend their rights or even quit their jobs”. According to a release posted on the Human Rights Watch website last night, “each of the 94 workers interviewed for the report said he paid between $1,800 and $4,100 in recruitment fees prior to his employment, highlighting the nearly universal acceptance of this practice in the UAE.” Most of the workers on the project come from the Indian subcontinent and live in a specially built housing complex on Saadiyat Island, which Armstrong visited this autumn and the Guggenheim says “has set a high standard for workers' accommodations in the region”.
The boycott demands that the Guggenheim and its Abu Dhabi partner, the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), guarantee that workers will be reimbursed for any recruitment fees they may have paid, and that they hire a “reputable independent monitor” who will determine if conditions on the work site comply with international laws and standards and makes these findings public. They also urge the foundation and the TDIC to establish “explicit mechanisms for enforcing the terms of the contract clearly enumerated remedies in the event of breaches, [otherwise] all efforts to protect workers will be in vain”. The TDIC had previously announced that it would appoint a monitor in May, but the petition demands that this appointment “be made as soon as possible”.
The protesting group says they will not display their work in the museum, and adds that for many this boycott will apply to all the Guggenheim’s branches. “These violations, which threaten to sully the Guggenheim’s reputation, present a serious, moral challenge to those who may be asked to work with the museum. No one should be asked to exhibit or perform in a building that has been constructed and maintained on the backs of exploited employees,” the petition reads. Those who have signed the protest include internationally recognised artists such as Kader Attia, Yto Barrada, Zarina Bhimji, Monica Bonvicini, Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, Sam Durant, Andrea Fraser, Mona Hatoum, Thomas Hirschhorn, Alfredo Jaar, Barbara Kruger, Emily Jacir, Shirin Neshat, Paul Pfeiffer, Walid Raad and Rirkrit Tiravanija. For a new museum that needs to build a collection from scratch and aims to focus its programme on contemporary Middle Eastern art, the refusal of many of these artists to participate in the project could become a serious obstacle.
"This leading group of artists is making clear that they will not showcase their work in a museum built by abused workers, and that the steps taken to date by Guggenheim and TDIC are inadequate," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "If the Guggenheim and TDIC fail to address the artists' concerns, the museum may become better known for exhibiting labour violations than art."
In a statement, the Guggenheim Foundation said it is “firmly committed to working to protect the rights of individuals on the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum site.” It says it has taken “several very important steps” over the past six months to demonstrate this, including a joint public statement with the TDIC “committing to provide key core rights and benefits to all workers involved in the construction of the museum”. It also says the TDIC has promised to install “a robust independent monitoring programme” that will issue annual public reports and to “contractually require all contractors to reimburse workers for any recruitment fees they have paid to agencies to obtain their jobs”.
“While we share the artists’ concern for the workers, we believe that, in light of the steady progress that has been made with respect to recruitment fees, the prompt payment of wages, the ability to retain passports, the provision of health insurance and good living accommodations and the imminent appointment of an independent monitor in May, their statement is misinformed,” the Guggenheim adds. “We believe that the Guggenheim Foundation’s work with TDIC has been instrumental in bringing about this progress. We will continue to remain focused on this critical priority.”
This is not the first time the Human Rights Watch has issued protests against labour conditions in the United Arab Emirates. In 2007, it asked the French government to stand up for the rights of workers constructing the Louvre’s planned branch in Abu Dhabi, also on Saadiyat Island. And last year, it applauded New York University’s announcement that it will require all companies working on its new campus in Abu Dhabi to reimburse workers for any recruiting fees, bar them from confiscating worker passports, and require them to provide 30 days of annual leave, health insurance, and pay for overtime, among other benefits.
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