Saudi Arabia’s NEOM announces new beach club in collaboration with MDLBEAST
Saudi Arabia’s NEOM announces new beach club in collaboration with MDLBEAST/node/2459831/lifestyle
Saudi Arabia’s NEOM announces new beach club in collaboration with MDLBEAST
Saudi Arabia’s NEOM will open a new ultra-modern beach club on its luxury island Sindalah in a partnership with music entertainment company MDLBEAST. (Supplied)
Saudi Arabia’s NEOM announces new beach club in collaboration with MDLBEAST
Updated 16 February 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s NEOM will open a new ultra-modern beach club on its luxury island Sindalah in a partnership with music entertainment company MDLBEAST.
MDLBEAST will handle the end-to-end operations at The Sindalah Beach Club, starting from the preparations during the venue pre-launch to the management of the destination.
“Sindalah is bringing a new model for luxury travel and living powered by innovation and sustainability. MDLBEAST will reimagine the typical beach club experience into a tech-enhanced journey, leveraging the value of Sindalah as an iconic luxury island destination,” Chief Urban Planning and Islands Officer at NEOM said.
The music scene at Sindalah will feature renowned musicians, artists, and DJs, alongside modern audio and visual installations to create a dynamic environment.
Sindalah Beach Club is also committed to responsible luxury and aligns with NEOM’s vision for sustainable tourism.
The club will aim to prioritise environmental preservation by blending architecture with its natural surroundings, to ensure a minimal ecological footprint.
Spanning more than 700 pages, the novel is an emotionally intense journey that delves deep into the lives of four college friends as they navigate adulthood in New York City
Updated 24 October 2024
MANAL AL-BARAKATI
Hanya Yanagihara’s “A Little Life,” originally published in 2015, is a monumental and devastating exploration of trauma, friendship and the complexities of human resilience.
Spanning more than 700 pages, the novel is an emotionally intense journey that delves deep into the lives of four college friends as they navigate adulthood in New York City.
At its core, however, the novel revolves around Jude St. Francis, a character whose harrowing past and enduring pain form the emotional backbone of the story.
The power of “A Little Life” lies in its unflinching portrayal of suffering. Yanagihara masterfully crafts a narrative that is both intimate and unrelenting, capturing the profound impact of Jude’s traumatic experiences. His past, gradually revealed through the novel, casts a long shadow over his present, affecting not only his relationship with himself but also with those who care for him.
The depiction of trauma is raw and visceral, leaving a lasting impression on the reader. Yanagihara does not spare the reader from the depths of Jude’s anguish, making the novel a challenging but profoundly moving experience.
While the novel is heavy with themes of pain and loss, it also explores the transformative power of friendship. The bond between Jude and his friends — Willem, Malcolm and JB — offers moments of tenderness and connection that provide respite from the overwhelming darkness. Yanagihara’s portrayal of these relationships is one of the novel’s strengths, offering a nuanced look at love, loyalty and the ways in which friends become chosen family.
The deep emotional ties between the characters elevate “A Little Life” beyond a mere tale of suffering, making it a meditation on the capacity for human connection to heal, even when the scars run deep.
Yanagihara’s prose is haunting and beautiful, drawing the reader into the lives of the characters with an intensity that is hard to resist. The novel’s length allows for a thorough and immersive exploration of the characters’ inner worlds, making their joys and sorrows feel deeply personal.
Yet, “A Little Life” is not without its challenges. Its relentless focus on Jude’s trauma can be overwhelming, and the novel’s unremitting sadness may prove too intense for some readers. However, for those willing to confront its emotional weight, the novel offers a deeply affecting and unforgettable experience.
In “A Little Life,” Yanagihara examines the extremes of human experience — both the agonizing depths of despair and the redemptive potential of love. It is a novel that demands patience and emotional endurance but rewards readers with a story of profound emotional depth.
Although it may not be suitable for everyone, “A Little Life” is a masterpiece of modern literature, providing an unflinching look at pain, survival and the bonds that sustain us.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani superstar Fawad Khan has ventured into two new upcoming projects, a crime thriller series and a dark comedy film, renowned American magazine Variety reported this week.
Khan enjoys heartthrob status in both Pakistan and India and has played the lead in Bollywood hits “Khoobsurat” (2014) and “Kapoor & Sons” (2016). He also starred in “Ms. Marvel” (2022) and “The Legend of Maula Jatt” (2022), Pakistan’s biggest hit of all time.
“Behind the Scenes, a newsroom thriller, is being developed by producers Bilal Sami, Raza Namazi and Suri Gopalan of Film Lab++, in collaboration with Khan,” Variety reported on Tuesday, adding that the announcement was made at the Tasveer Film Market in Seattle.
The dark comedy will feature Mehreen Jabbar (Jackson Heights), Sarmad Khoosat (Joyland) and Mohammed Ali Naqvi (Insha’Allah Democracy) behind the camera, Variety said.
Khan’s second project is a crime thriller series for the production company Awedacious Originals. The series is based on Omar Shahid’s bestseller, “The Prisoner,” in which he will play one of two daring cops who embark on a covert mission to topple Karachi’s powerful mafia-like political party.
The drama has been created by Parisa Siddiqi and Ahmer Khan.
Khan was last seen as the lead of the hit Zindagi series “Barzakh,” which debuted at Series Mania in 2023.
Bollywood star Swara Bhaskar praises Riyadh’s beauty, Saudi hospitality
Swara Bhaskar was in the capital as a guest of honor for the Sir Syed Day celebration organized by the Aligarh Muslim University Alumni Association (AMUOBA)
Bhaskar toured some of the landmarks of the city, including UNESCO World Heritage Site At-Turaif District in Diriyah
Updated 24 October 2024
Rashid Hassan
RIYADH: Saudi citizens and expatriates living in the capital have always known what the city has to offer — and the world is quickly finding out, too.
Many celebrities who have visited Riyadh in recent years have talked about how special the people are, and how beautiful the Kingdom and its warm hospitality is.
The latest is Bollywood star Swara Bhaskar, who was in the capital as a guest of honor for the Sir Syed Day celebration organized by the Aligarh Muslim University Alumni Association, or AMUOBA Riyadh.
After the AMUOBA Riyadh celebration, Bhaskar toured some of the landmarks of the city, including At-Turaif District in Diriyah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the northwest of Riyadh.
Asked about her experience and the transformation in the Kingdom, the Bollywood star activist said: “I am happy to be here. I am here for the first time, thanks to AMUOBA Riyadh for inviting me. I am feeling good to see the transformation under Vision 2030. Let me just say first how beautiful this city is.”
Every year, AMU alumni across the world celebrate the anniversary of the birth of the university’s founder, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. Born on Oct. 17, 1817, Sir Syed was a reformer, philosopher, theologian and educationist. He paved the way for modern scientific education for Indian Muslims at a time when a large part of the Muslim population was mired in old traditions and unable to compete in the era of emerging technologies.
The alumni carry forward the legacy of the reformer and every year on Oct. 17 celebrate Sir Syed Day.
On women’s empowerment, the Bollywood star said: “As we see anywhere in the world that women have equal participation in different walks of life, I can see the same here, and it really feels good. Staying here for two days, I have seen transformation and have been told how developments are taking place for women’s empowerment. So it feels good to be here at the moment and see the developments taking place.”
On the Global Harmony Initiative as part of the “Quality of Life” program in line with the Saudi Vision 2030 promoted by the Ministry of Media, she said: “Arab hospitality is well known, being here I have experienced it myself, though for a short time, but I am thinking of coming back on a long trip.”
Saudi Arabia launched the Global Harmony Initiative last week, aimed at celebrating the diverse nationalities and cultures of residents through exploring their lives, contributions and cultural integration.
The initiative, a collaboration between the Quality of Life government program, Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s General Entertainment Authority and the Ministry of Media, will feature events during Riyadh Season showcasing the cuisines, cultures and heritage of India, Pakistan, Philippines, Indonesia, Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Bangladesh and Egypt.
Bhaskar said: “A big and heartfelt thanks to AMUOBA Riyadh for their kind and generous hospitality and care during our stay in Riyadh. Have heard of AMU hospitality, have experienced it now. Met so many wonderful ‘Aligs’ and their families.”
Speaking at the Sir Syed Day celebration earlier, she said: “I am happy that my daughter made her first trip to the holy land, from where Prophet Muhammad spread the message of Islam for peace and harmony.”
The celebration was also attended by veteran Indian journalist and consulting editor of ABP News, Sandeep Chaudhary.
Bhaskar is married to Fahad Ahmad, a student leader and social activist. She gave birth to their daughter, Raabiyaa, last year.
AlUla showcases artistic vision in Paris with ‘Orbis Tertius’
Exhibition of work from the AlUla Artist Residency Program was part of this year’s Art Basel
Updated 24 October 2024
Jean Grogan
PARIS: The AlUla Artist Residency Program made its debut in France during Art Basel Paris this month with “Orbis Tertius,” an exhibition showcasing the work of 20 international artists. The program was launched in 2021 by the Royal Commission for AlUla in collaboration with the French Agency for AlUla Development.
The exhibition is part of Arts AlUla’s global program to promote the ancient oasis city as an emerging hub for art and creativity. For millennia, AlUla was a key location for trade and culture — it is home to Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage site, and was a stop on the Incense Road. AlUla’s pre-Islamic heritage and breathtaking landscape continue to inspire groundbreaking artistic expressions, as shown in “Orbis Tertius.”
Arnaud Morand, AFALULA, Curator, Orbis Tertius (2024). (Supplied)
Artist and photographer Louis-Cyprien Rials told Arab News that at the heart of his residency was “the almost-uncomfortable idea of being nothing in a place that seems eternal and easily reminds us of our insignificance.”
Located in the palm grove of Mabiti AlUla, and with a newly-opened artists’ residence in AlJadidadh, the program offers an ideal setting for artists to reflect on the role and methods of creative practice in the contemporary world. It encourages a dynamic dialogue between the artists, as well as with the local community in AlUla.
This residency program, according to curator Arnaud Morand, head of art and creative industries at AFALULA, is “unique.” The artists are enrolled by invitation only after submission of a portfolio and a letter of intent. The breakdown of nationalities is roughly half Arab, half international.
“The artists had to have an established practice of interest and relevant to us, working between past and future heritage,” Morand explained. “In the unconventional and intense context of this desert oasis, they were working closely with the local communities. Many had previous experience in collaborating with scientists and experts. Spending a minimum of 10 weeks on the ground was mandatory. The artists met and interacted with AlUla’s field specialists; archaeologists, geologists, anthropologists, agronomists, botanists, heritage conservatists and environmental workers. If this time commitment was not possible for them, their candidature could not be considered.”
It was Morand who chose the theme “Orbis Tertius, A Journey Between Fictions and Myths” for the show, inspired by the Argentine writer, Jorge Luis Borges, whose “Fictions” explores how our world can be better understood through a blend of ancient myths and legends and observed reality.
“AlUla reinvents itself every day as a fundamental utopia of the 21st century,” Morand said. “The residency program offers a framework for creatives to integrate and meaningfully engage with the bigger project. It also provides an insight into how the community processes change. Ultimately, it steers us in the right direction, drawing on the artists’ perceptions and questions while offering time and an unparalleled context to develop their practice.”
At Art Basel, “Orbis Tertius” was displayed over four floors of the gallery at 5 rue Saint-Merri, a stone’s throw away from the Pompidou Center. The works were not confined to a single medium. The 20 contemporary artists presented 43 works that included paintings, sculptures, videos, photographs, poetry, calligraphy, brickmaking, installations and live performances.
In pride of place on the ground floor stood the 4.5 meter “The Guardian,” an aluminum sculpture by Kuwaiti artist Monira Al-Qadiri, whose work examines nature’s hostile retaliation to human presence in the environment. Her totemic sculpture is based on the Calotropis Procera, a plant native to the region, which grows on arid soil, and can survive for up to three years without a single drop of water. The Calotropis Procera secretes a milky substance that Bedouin lore has it can cause blindness.
The Jeddah-born multidisciplinary artist Anhar Salem works primarily in film. Her “A Day in AlUla” is a series of eight subtly beautiful social portrait vlogs documenting a day in the life of local and foreign AlUla residents.
.A still from Anhar Salem's 'A Day in AlUla.'(Supplied)
“I had to choose between approaching AlUla through its landscape and history or through its social and public aspects,” Salem said. “I ultimately chose the latter by simply talking to everyone I met from AlUla.”
Brothers Abdulrahman and Turki Gazzaz live and work in Jeddah, where they founded the architecture, design and experimental research studio Bricklab in 2015. During their residency, the brothers used rammed-earth techniques to develop a resilient material for construction unique to the region. Combining sand collected from different parts of AlUla with concrete, epoxy and other artificial additives, the bricks condense the storied narratives that make up AlUla today.
Jizan-based Reem Al-Nasser bases her work on anthropological study and concepts such as time, space and astrology. During her residency, she created “Alma of the North,” a structure of brilliant steel gates ornamented with archaeological and astronomical symbols found in AlUla’s history.
Riyadh-based Ayman Zedani’s immersive video installation “The Desert Keeper” was a result of research he had conducted on a parasitic plant from the Arabian desert over the past few years. It can acquire genes from its host plant, thus assuring the survival of its offspring. His work combined footage of the plants with a computer-generated journey through the cosmos and a voiceover by the writer and poet Wided Rihana Khdraoul.
Ayman Zedani's 'The Desert Keepers.' (Supplied)
“AlUla has long been a crossroads of cultures and a wellspring of creativity,” Nora Aldabal, executive director of arts and creative industries at the RCU, said in a press release. “With the AlUla Artist Residency Program, we are showcasing the extraordinary artistic vision flourishing in AlUla and demonstrating its power to bridge cultures and inspire dialogue.”
“Orbis Tertius,” she continued, was “a testament to incredible inspiration that artists and creatives discover in AlUla — a place where the world can connect with ancient history and experience contemporary artistic expressions. AlUla’s ambition for art, design and culture is to create a better future for the region, generating jobs and opportunities for cultural enrichment for those who live, work and visit there.”
Francois Graff on the jewelry house’s ties with the Gulf, balancing exclusivity with growth
Updated 24 October 2024
Hanadi Merchant-Habib
DUBAI: For more than half a century, Graff has been synonymous with luxury and exclusivity. Founded in 1960 by British jeweler Laurence Graff, the house has been known for handling some of the world’s rarest and most exquisite diamonds.
In a world of conglomerates, Graff remains family owned, with its CEO, Francois Graff, at the helm. Graff’s latest milestone is the redesigned Dubai Mall boutique that opened this month. After a two-month renovation, the boutique presents a new customer experience.
“It’s an ongoing process keeping the stores fresh. We have 70 stores, and they all keep evolving,” Graff said. The boutique’s most impressive feature is undoubtedly the facade, with its reimagined Graff logo — the iconic fan. “We first started with that motif in the 90s. It’s an old symbol used in architecture everywhere, and we have adopted it; it has evolved over the years,” he said.
Graff’s latest milestone is the redesigned Dubai Mall boutique that opened this month. (Supplied)
Inside, diamond-pattern flooring welcomes the client — a nod to their love affair with the most precious diamonds in the world. “The floor in this boutique is found in only one other location — Paris. By making each store individual, we keep the bespoke nature of the brand. You’ll pick up house codes in all our stores, but each store is still unique — I prefer it like that,” Graff said. The space includes a bridal room, a diamond collection room, and a VIP suite.
The Middle Eastern market has long been important to Graff. The brand’s deep connection to the region dates back to 1986 when Graff first visited Dubai. “I came here for a big royal wedding then, and it was a very different Dubai than what we see today. But it captured my imagination,” he recalled.
Inside, diamond-pattern flooring welcomes the client — a nod to their love affair with the most precious diamonds in the world. (Supplied)
Saudi Arabia, too, is a key market. The brand’s relationship with the Kingdom spans decades and is deeply intertwined with Graff’s history. In the past, Saudi clients would visit the London boutique to buy their jewels, he said.
“Saudi Arabia has always been special for us. We have deep-rooted connections with prominent Saudi families, many of whom have been clients for a long time. Many princesses and affluent ladies remember that their mother gave them a little piece of Graff jewelry when they were younger. Today, they are buying their own pieces.”
Graff’s relationship with Saudis is evident in the brand’s continued expansion, with two new outlets opening in the Kingdom this year.
What distinguishes Graff is its continued commitment to craftsmanship and exclusivity despite scaling. In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, many luxury brands face the dichotomy of being relevant, gaining global exposure, and maintaining exclusivity. For Graff, exclusivity is non-negotiable.
“The democratization of luxury is something we’re very conscious of,” Graff said. “But we’ve found a way to diversify without compromising our values.”
Graff’s strategy is to offer a range of products, from high-value statement pieces to more accessible jewelry, without diluting the brand’s essence — no easy feat.
“A client who wants to spend a million dollars on a necklace may also want something they can wear in the morning for $10,000. But they expect the same level of exclusivity and craftsmanship, no matter the price point,” he said.
While many luxury brands rely heavily on celebrity endorsements and influencer marketing, Graff takes a more restrained approach.
“Our clients are very discerning. If you’re buying something for $2 million, you don’t want to see it worn by multiple celebrities before it’s yours. We balance the need for visibility with our defining principles of quality and exclusivity.”
As Graff looks to the future, particularly in the Middle East, the CEO is optimistic.
“We’ve been here for decades and will continue to be here, offering our clients the best of what we do. The region is booming, and we’re excited to be a part of that growth.”
