Sessions include DJ workshops, lino-making, children’s book readings, film screenings, and a talk on tolerance in partnership with Thinkers & Doers

Abu Dhabi, UAE – 5 December 2019: Warehouse421 has announced its December program featuring a series of film screenings, workshops, and events, seeking to further engage the UAE community with a variety of art practices and creative discussions.

On 10 December and running until 16 February 2020, Warehouse421’s newest exhibition entitled How to Maneuver: Shape-shifting texts and other publishing tactics, which explores beyond the genre of artist books.  Curated by Maha Maamoun and Alaa Younis, founders of the publishing initative, Kayfa Ta, the exhibition has been designed to inspect the realm between the production of art and design and publishing work for wider audiences.

Kicking off December’s diverse program of workshops on 6 December is Building Beats (13:00-16:00), an introduction to electronic music production and DJing. Led by Berlin-based techno DJ Justine Perry of label Art Bei Ton and her mentor, Simonne Jones Peaches, an artistic trailblazer of whom Jared Leto is a fan, the workshop will teach the basics of DJing as well as the creative process behind musical collaboration. The workshop is followed by a chill lounge concert from 7pm, where Justine and Simonne will be performing.

Also on 6 - 7 December (17:30-20:30, AED120), is Sites and Surfaces, a workshop led by artist and designer Talin Hazbar. The workshop aims to lend its participants a fresh perspective to the creative process, shifting focus from the end-product to the value of the process itself. Centered around material, one of the main elements of the creative process, Hazbar leads participants on a tour through the industrial warehouses at Abu Dhabi’s historic Mina Zayed, allowing them to analyze and examine the relationship between natural and industrial materials.

CinemaAkil is set to return once again to the center on 11 December (19:30 – 21:30, FREE) as part of their collaborative series – Arabs and the City. This season’s program sees new groundbreaking and high-tension films such as A Wedding Day and Sofia. Directed by Elias Belkeddar, A Wedding Day sees an aging gangster in exile in Algeria drift melancholically between fascinating women, criminal affairs and the boredom of his existence. Sofia, a PG-13 film directed by Meryem Benm'Barek-Aloïsi, explores the more somber tones of oppressive social forces in play in Casablanca as protagonist Sofia tries to save her family’s honor and stay out of jail.

In partnership with Thinkers & Doers, the talk entitled Tolerance and intercultural dialogue as drivers for peace – brings together three prominent figures from Arab and European civil society. At the talk happening on 11 December, (08:00-10:00, FREE), the panelists will explore ways to utilize education and culture to build bridges between diverse groups of people. And as the Year of Tolerance in the UAE comes to a close, the talk will also touch on how and why diversity should always be viewed as an opportunity rather than a burden or a challenge.

Gulf Photo Plus is also set to return with another photography workshop, Photography Level 2, on 13 December (13:00-18:30, AED595) for those looking to further advance their photography skills and go full manual mode. This intermediate photography workshop conducted by Kathleen Hoare, will allow participants to learn how to correctly use flash, read histograms, and play with light painting. Through this workshop, participants will be able to develop foundational skills that will allow them to foray into advanced genres such as portrait, travel and wedding photography.

On 14 December, a workshop will be held on the art of Printmaking: Lino Reduction (16:00-19:00, FREE). Led by Salama Nasib participants will be taught the art of lino making, the process of printing layers using a single lino block, achieved by cutting away parts of the block each time the print is repeated. Through this workshop, participants will learn the concepts of layer order and block registration, before creating their own print work made up of multiple layers.

Also on the same day the final installment of the Khayal Book Reading series (15:00-17:00, FREE) sees collaboration with Early Starters as they read two winter-themed children’s classics. The Snowy Day by Ezra Keats and The Mitten by Brett, will allow kids to get lost in the snowy worlds imagined in the books through the reading session, before they unleash their creativity by making their own snow globes, felt mittens and felt animals, and freestyle glitter paintings.

Finally, Photo Walk: Documenting Facades (15:30-17:00, AED295), also taking place on 14 December, is a guided photowalk led by Emirati Artist Hussein AlMoosawi. Perfect for budding photographers and photography enthusiasts alike, the tour will make stops at some of Hussein’s favourite buildings, where participants will witness his complex and precise approach to architectural documentation and learn more about his post-production techniques.

For more information on Warehouse421’s December events, and to sign up for sessions, please visit: http://www.warehouse421.ae/en/program/