Way of the Forest

22 September 2024 - 29 December 2024

Way of the Forest is a traveling edition of the arts festival Colomboscope that converges artistic pathways to rekindle knowledge of interdependence, custodianship, and restorative practices across rainforests, wilderness, mountain cultivations, and riverine wetlands. Taking over Galleries 1 and 2 inside 421 Arts Campus in Abu Dhabi, it invites deschooling – moving from the curriculum of plunder, reckless supremacy and extinction, to embrace active listening beyond the human sensorium.

This exhibition is an intricate study of our eroding ecological histories, of lost environmental wisdoms, monstrous developmental agendas, and ghosts of extraction. 

Way of the Forest is the 8th edition of the Colomboscope festival held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from January 19 to 28, 2024. This iteration of the festival has been adapted to reach audiences in the UAE, and marks a second partnership between 421 Arts Campus and Colomboscope.

Early Career Opportunities at 421: Information Session

16 October 2024
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Join us for an online information session with our Learning Initiatives Manager, Dana Al Mazroui, where she will dive into the details of the open call for 421’s Graduate Internship Program and other opportunities that will run in the future.

Location: Online Zoom Call

To register your interest and access the call, register here.

Pencil In: A Writers’ Group

17 October 2024
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Pencil In is a writers’ group created to provide a supportive environment for writers to write alone, together! We at 421 love the idea of body-doubling (working near or around someone to help stay focused and engaged) when we are working, writing, and creating.

Open to ages 18 and above.

Add to Cart (Free)

• 1 Ticket
• 2 Tickets

Performance Co/Lab

20 October 2024
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Performance Co/Lab is an open invitation to all performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices. Through a sustained program, participants will explore performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques.

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• 1 Ticket
• 2 Tickets

Contemporary Floral Arrangement Workshop

24 October 2024
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Join our artist-in-residence Yousif Abdulsaid for a special workshop where you'll learn to create a contemporary-style floral arrangement perfect for dining tables, coffee tables, or as a striking centerpiece.

Known for his experimental floral installations, Yousif will get you creating a variety of arrangements using flowers, branches, and foliage.

Register Interest

A Sri Lankan Brunch

3 November 2024
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Join the mother-daughter duo for this special Jamming Session!

In this hands-on cooking class, you'll learn to make three beloved Sri Lankan dishes: ‘kiribath’ (coconut-infused milk rice), ‘biththara hodi’ (eggs in coconut milk curry), and ‘lunu miris’ (salt and chili sambol)

‘Jamming Sessions: Homecooking Series’ is a workshop series led by UAE’s home chefs. Each session features a family duo who teach participants their traditional recipes as handed down through their relatives. The sessions are accompanied by a playlist that sets the scene of a home kitchen.

Add to Cart (AED 120)

• 1 Ticket
• 2 Tickets

The Artist Toolkit: Strategies for Applying to Open Calls

8 November 2024 - 10 November 2024

This in-person three-day course addresses the challenges artists and creative practitioners face when applying for open calls, grants, and other career opportunities. In the session, instructor Jolaine Frizzell  introduces strategies on how to find and apply for the right opportunities for your career, and best practices when it comes to application writing.

Course timings: 

• Friday, November 8 : 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

• Saturday, November 9: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

• Sunday, November 10: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Apply here

The Places They'll Go with Helen Zughaib

22 November 2024
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Join Helen Zughaib, artist and author of 'Stories My Father Told Me', for a special workshop for children and their families!

In this workshop, based on Helen’s shoe project titled 'The Places They’ll Go,' participants will paint their own little shoes to take home.

Add to Cart (AED 15)

• 1 Ticket
• 2 Tickets

Pencil In: A Writers’ Group

28 November 2024
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Pencil In is a writers’ group created to provide a supportive environment for writers to write alone, together! We at 421 love the idea of body-doubling (working near or around someone to help stay focused and engaged) when we are working, writing, and creating.

Open to ages 18 and above.

Add to Cart (Free)

• 1 Ticket
• 2 Tickets

Day 1 | Forest Cinema

5 December 2024
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

FOREST CINEMA

TRACES OF THE VANISHING FOREST

DHARAMSHALA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WITH RITU SARIN AND TENZING SONAM

Dharamshala International Film Festival’s peripatetic and constantly changing programme—DIFF On the Road—brings curated selections of films to venues and locations across India and beyond.

Add to Cart (Free)

• 1 Ticket
• 2 Tickets

Pencil In: A Writers’ Group

12 December 2024
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Pencil In is a writers’ group created to provide a supportive environment for writers to write alone, together! We at 421 love the idea of body-doubling (working near or around someone to help stay focused and engaged) when we are working, writing, and creating.

Open to ages 18 and above.

Add to Cart (Free)

• 1 Ticket
• 2 Tickets

Day 2 | Forest Cinema

19 December 2024
7:00 PM - 9:30 PM

FOREST CINEMA

GHOST 2561-2565

KORAKRIT ARUNANONDCHAI & CHRISTINA LI

Dharamshala International Film Festival’s peripatetic and constantly changing programme—DIFF On the Road—brings curated selections of films to venues and locations across India and beyond.

Add to Cart (Free)

• 1 Ticket
• 2 Tickets

Khayal Series with Early Starters

21 December 2024
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Join us for an all-new Khayal Series with Early Starters this fall!

This session is suitable for families with children 6 and over. Parents and guardians are welcome to join the session and support their little ones.

Add to Cart (AED 20)

• 1 Ticket
• 2 Tickets

Episode 1│A Future in the Folds of the Past

Listen to Episode 1 Season 3 of our podcast, A Future in the Folds of the Past, a series that focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in addressing the climate crisis.

This episode, titled ‘The Art Institution & The Climate Crisis’ features a discussion with Faisal Al Hassan, Director of 421 Arts Campus, and Nora Razian, curator and Exhibitions Program Manager at Art Jameel in Dubai. It delves into how art and culture institutions are developing programs and activities to experiment with and reflect on environmental issues.

There is a clear trend towards creating spaces that encourage practitioners, researchers, and artists to adopt environmental themes in their projects and artistic propositions.

Episode 2│A Future in the Folds of the Past

Listen to Episode 2 Season 3 of our podcast, A Future in the Folds of the Past, a documentary series that focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in addressing the climate crisis.

In this episode, titled ‘A Drop of Sky’, Amanda Abi Khalil, an art curator and founder of the TAP platform, tells us about her initiatives in Lebanon and Brazil that merge contemporary art, environmental, and community work. Amanda uses contemporary art as an effective tool for change, launching several projects that address these themes. 

We also speak with Francesca Masoero, an art curator and cultural program coordinator who initiated the “Qanat” project in 2017, commissioned by Space 18 in Marrakech, Morocco. This project has evolved through multidisciplinary research and relies on collective production shared between the artistic field and community initiatives. 

Episode 3│A Future in the Folds of the Past

Listen to Episode 3 Season 3 of our podcast, A Future in the Folds of the Past, a documentary series that focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in addressing the climate crisis. 

In this episode titled ‘The Climate Crisis: Responses through Artistic Practice’, our conversation features Adib Dada, a Lebanese architectural researcher and founder of ‘The Other Dada’ project, who focuses on developing projects that mimic nature and enhance the integrative relationship between architecture, design, art, and the environment.

We also speak with Asunción Molinos Gordo, a Spanish artist who explores alternative approaches to understanding evolution and innovation outside centralized urban contexts, focusing on contemporary farming issues as a central theme. 

Episode 4│A Future in the Folds of the Past

Listen to Episode 4 Season 3 of our podcast “A Future in the Folds of the Past,” which focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in discussing the climate crisis.

In this episode, titled "Land as a Living Heritage", we host Rabee Zureikat, the founder of the Zikra Initiative for Popular Learning in Jordan, which aims to promote sustainability by reshaping the community's relationship with urban agricultural spaces and providing opportunities for people to participate in planting and harvesting local wheat.

We also speak with Zeinab Gaafar, an architect and researcher in urban studies, and a member of the Preserving Sudan’s Living Heritage project. She discusses the environmental challenges in Sudan that threaten the culture and community heritage, and the importance of cultural initiatives in these challenging times to enhance community resilience and protect cultural legacy.

Episode 5 │A Future in the Folds of the Past

Listen to the Episode 5 Season 3 of the podcast "A Future in the Folds of the Past", which focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in discussing the climate crisis.

In this episode, we explore the relationship with the land in the context of post-colonialism and ongoing colonialism, using the cases of Algeria and Palestine. We delve into artistic interventions in environmental architecture and documentary cinema.

Episode 6 │A Future in the Folds of the Past

Listen to Episode 6 Season 3 of the podcast "A Future in the Fold of the Past," which focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in discussing the climate crisis.

In this episode, we explore contemporary artistic practices related to nature, environmental heritage, and modern transformations in the UAE.