Sessions include pattern making and the art of jewelry design, as well as screenings in collaboration with Cinema Akil and the Goethe-Institut

Abu Dhabi, UAE – 5 October 2019: Warehosue421 has announced its October programming of short courses, workshops, film screenings and more for audiences in the UAE, seeking to engage the public with diverse creative practices and drive conversations around regional narratives.

Starting on 6 October, jewelry designer Nadia Abbas will start an eight-part course focused on Jewelry Design. The sessions, which are to be held on 6, 13, 20 and 27 October, alongside additional sessions in November, will enable participants to discover the art of creating jewelry and how to bring that design to a manufacturer.

On October 12, Sorour Amini, a lecturer of fine arts and graphic design at Dubai’s Islamic Azad University, will offer a crash course on the history of Cyanotype. Originally used for architectural drawings, cyanotype was used by artists in the 20th Century to create cyan-blue copies of photographs. Participants can try to create their own versions of the china-blue prints. On the same day, a panel session will be held, titled Why Who Gets To Tell What Where. The session is focused on the balance between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation, and where the line lies between the two. The session will hear from local artists, curators and cultural critics Christopher Benton, Marta Lamovsek, Mubarik Jafery, and will be led by Ryan Inouye of the Sharjah Art Foundation. The talk will be held in English with simultaneous Arabic translation available.

Meanwhile, a workshop on Black and White Collage will be given by expressionist painter Noor Bahjat on 15 October. The session will experiment with mixing black and white hues into different colors, to create a collage on multiple levels that is made up of different mediums, textures and shapes.

Warehouse421 is partnering again with Cinema Akil to present two film screenings, the first in this season’s series titled Arabs and the City Series on 16 October. The first film is directed by Karam Ghossein, The Street of Death and Other Stories, focuses on social relations in Beirut suburbia. The second film, Capernaüm, which was nominated for the Cannes Palme d’Or, centers on a Lebanese boy who sues his parents for the crime of giving him life, and his subsequent departure from home. The session is free to attend, and is available for those aged ten and above, although parental guidance is necessary for those below 15 years of age.

On 18 October, Gulf Photo Plus returns to Warehouse421 to deliver a workshop on Shooting and Developing Film. Designed to indicate both the preservation and the innovations within this analogue form of photography, the session offers participants an overview of film photography, before heading out on a photo walk. The group class will also offer a demonstration of the darkroom method. Led by photographer Raz Hansrod, it is open for those over 16. On 19 October, Gulf Photo Plus will also lead a session for participants to receive an Introduction to Adobe Lightroom. Focusing on the staple photo editing software for photographers, participants will be able to explore and navigate Lightroom’s interface and its editing tools. Led by veteran photographer Kathleen Hoare, the workshops are open to those over 16. Also on 19 October will be a Photo Walk in the Mina Zayed area of Abu Dhabi, offering participants the opportunity to artistically develop photographs of industrial areas and nearby markets. Led by the experienced photographer, Raz Hansrod, the session will allow participants guidance on taking control of their shots and their camera.

In addition, on the evening of 18 October, graphic designer Rasha Dakkak will lead a class on Developing a Brand. The insightful seminar will offer participants the opportunity to consider how to develop a brand story, how to communicate core messages visually, and what the differences are between a brand, a logo, and visual identity. The following day, a six part series on the art of Perfume Making will begin on 19 October, and will run for each Saturday for six weeks. The popular course, led by Emirati perfumer, Amna Al Habtoor, will provide an introduction to perfumery, alongside offering participants insights into its history, its use, and the processes involved in crafting scent.

Two workshops on Printmaking: Pattern Print will also run at the center on 19 October and 26 October. The sessions will focus on printing in layers through lino print. Participants will be able to understand the concepts of layer order and block registration when creating the print. Meanwhile, on 20 October, Warehouse421 will host a session on Rusting and Torching Copper. Copper’s distinctive blue-green color is used on building facades and in jewelry design, and participants in this workshop will be able to learn how to achieve such a hue through the process of rusting. Led by instructors Rawda Al Ketbi and Rahed Al Falasi, the sessions will demonstrate how different chemicals and materials can vary the texture of the color, alongside demonstrating the process of torch painting, and how it impacts copper.

Warehouse421 is collaborating once more with the Goethe-Institut, the German cultural association, to bring a documentary on the German-American sculptor, Eva Hesse, on the evening of 23 October. The documentary explores both the life and art of the artist, whose works are hung in museums including the Whitney and MoMa in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Tate Modern in London. The film is rated as PG 13.

The Khayal Book Reading Series for Children returns on 26 October, and will offer young readers a chance to explore the exciting world of managing their finances. Guest author Khadijaj Kudsi will read from her book, UAE Old and New Money, which explores financial literacy and the history of money in the UAE. Children will be encouraged to think about what it means to live within their means, as well as getting the chance to decorate their own money bank to start saving their own dirhams. The session is open for children aged three and older.

At the end of the month, Warehouse421 will host a three day leather crafting course, titled ‘The Fundamentals – Leather Making ‘Basics of Leathercraft’. The course, starting on 30 October and running to 1 November, will provide participants with a crash course on types of leather, techniques available to create leather, alongside teaching artisanal finishing and detailing. Led by Naresh Kumar, the founder and creative director of 24th Street, participants will get the opportunity to make a card holder, an earphone/coin pouch, a luggage tag, and a passport sleeve.

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