Spot the difference: life in the United Arab Emirates vs life in Austria

May 25, 2020 by Lisa Reinisch in Abu Dhabi, food, lists, local culture, photography, UAE, Austria

For ten years, from 2009 to 2019, I lived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Since moving back to my native Austria, 18 months ago, I’ve gone through my personal version of reverse culture shock – slowly but surely wrapping my head around the many contrasts between how life was and the way things are now. I have no regrets about leaving but wouldn’t say it was easy either. Looking back, it’s clear that even though so much has changed, ultimately, the essence of “home” shines through. Here are eleven images that sum up the many ways my old reality diverges from the new.

Follow the mangoes: Masafi's Friday market

December 10, 2017 by Lisa Reinisch in anecdotes, food, history, local culture, recommendations, travel, UAE

Two rows of open-front stores line a short stretch of the E88 where it cuts in between two cinnamon-red mountain ridges, somewhere along what used to be the main route to the East coast. To the uninitiated, the Friday Market, or Souq Al Juma’a, may look like nothing more than a collection of random roadside junk shops backed by low-slung tenements. The question of driving on certainly hangs in the air on first approach. But then, invariably, cars slow down as the people inside take in the scene and, metre-by-metre, become intrigued.

The personal versus the universal at the Louvre Abu Dhabi launch

November 16, 2017 by Lisa Reinisch in art, architecture, anecdotes, Abu Dhabi, construction, design, launches, master plans, UAE

There is this thing I do whenever I drive across the bridge that links Abu Dhabi to Saadiyat Island, the emirate’s cultural tourism megaproject: I look over towards the stretch of shoreline where the master plan envisages five major cultural institutions (Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, a performaing arts centre and a maritime museum) to take shape. I did it back when there wasn’t anything to see except an empty patch of sand. I did it when construction on the first of them, Jean Nouvel's Louvre Abu Dhabi, finally began. And I do it now, that the museum has been open for almost a week.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi opens in two months and I'm still here

September 07, 2017 by Lisa Reinisch in Abu Dhabi, art, architecture, construction, design, events, history, journalism, launches, master plans, UAE

Having followed the twists and turns of the Louvre story for eight years, I found myself walking into yesterday's press conference, at which the museum would reveal its opening date, in a state of giddy anticipation. As they addressed an auditorium full of journalists, publicists, curators, officials and dignitaries, the speakers seemed to share the sentiment. When the first address, by HH Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, was over the opening date suddenly appeared on a large screen. An awkward, short ripple of applause went through the crowd. 11 November 2017. On deadline and just over two months away. And so, voilà, just like that, le chat was out of the bag.

Desert vinyl

January 15, 2016 by Lisa Reinisch in music, UAE, recommendations, Dubai, Abu Dhabi

While copious amounts of red tape continue to stymie the opening of The Flip Side, the independent record store the UAE so sorely needs, I thought it would be nice to draw attention to something our nascent independent music scene already DOES have: two vinyl-only record labels. Yes, you read that right. Unbeknownst to many, experimental imprints Bedouin Records and Ark to Ashes have been releasing homegrown beats on 12" for over two years now.

A few of my favourite things: little books of note

April 19, 2015 by Lisa Reinisch in books, design, lists, UAE, products

In the Sound of Music, Julie Andrews serenades her favourite things. Well, I don't sing. But if I did, I'd definitely dedicate a tune to the simple joy of starting a new notebook. I've stuck to little black ones for the longest time but in the past couple of weeks I've been tempted away from my trusty Moleskines by this trio of local finds.

Art Dubai 2015: Best solo artist booths

March 18, 2015 by Lisa Reinisch in art, Dubai, events, launches, UAE, art fairs

The ninth edition of Art Dubai opens today and I am happy to report that ‘the most global of art fairs’ lives up to its tagline: this year's programme includes work by more than 500 artists and 92 galleries hailing from more than 40 countries. More galleries than ever are presenting high-concept booths focused on just one or two names, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the work of individual artists more fully than is usually possible at events as busy (and commercially driven) as this. Here are three galleries at whose booths I couldn’t help but linger.

Design Days Dubai 2015

March 16, 2015 by Lisa Reinisch in art, Dubai, events, design, UAE

Exploding furniture from Dubai. Sick robots from Doha. Stuffed crochet weasels from London. Dubai Design Days has corralled an eclectic bunch of designers for its biggest and most charming line-up to date. Inside the now familiar tent-dome at the foot of Burj Khalifa, objects of artistry and wit await at every turn. This time around, I am especially taken by whimsical projects that inject a sense of fun and wonder into the often über-sleek world of collectable design.

Sharjah Biennial 12: Take One

March 09, 2015 by Lisa Reinisch in art, events, launches, UAE, Sharjah

This year, the launch of the Sharjah Biennial, now in its 12th iteration, marked the opening salvo of the UAE art season's busiest period. At the press preview, excited throngs of tote-bag carrying guests drifted back and forth through the narrow alleyways of Sharjah's old town, keen not to miss any of the artworks now occupying parts of the labyrinthine historical neighbourhood. Until June 5th, SB12 presents works by over 50 artists from 25 countries, loosely riffing on the theme The Past, The Present, The Possible. Here are some impressions from opening day.

Snapshots from Quoz Arts Festival 2014

November 11, 2014 by Lisa Reinisch in art, Dubai, events, photography, UAE

On Saturday, I spent a couple of hours exploring this year's edition of the Quoz Arts Festival, which turned out to offer exactly the kind of immersive, sprawling cultural whistle-stop tour I wanted that day. In a bit over two hours I somehow managed to see four exhibitions, watch a photography demo as well as part of a movie, listen to several DJs, giggle at witty, locally designed t-shirts and spend way too much money on a tiny (but oh so pretty) bottle of organic lemonade. Here are some of my favourite moments from a leisurely stroll around Alserkal Avenue's hive of galleries, food stalls and retail spaces during Quoz Arts Festival 2014.

Vampires and pomegranates, or: why my brain almost imploded with joy the other day

October 29, 2014 by Lisa Reinisch in Abu Dhabi, anecdotes, cinema, events, Movies, music, recommendations, UAE

Last weekend, two films at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) blew me away, although they could hardly have been any more different from each other: one was the 1968 Soviet/Armenian classic, The Color of Pomegranates, by Sergei Parajanov; the other, Ana Lily Amirpour’s directorial debut, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, aptly described in the catalogue as ‘the world’s first Iranian vampire Western’. Discovering a surprising link between them felt unfeasibly exciting and pleasantly short-circuited a whole bunch of synapses in my cultural grey matter.

Adihex 2014: guns, gadgets and… conservation?

September 16, 2014 by Lisa Reinisch in Abu Dhabi, events, UAE, trade fairs

On the labyrinthine marketplace that is Adihex (Abu Dhabi International Hunting & Equestrian Exhibition), exhibitors from all over the world tout anything from live falcons and remote-controlled tents to equine treadmills and designer rifles. You never know what you are going to find. As usual, I walk away with an utterly random, firmly non-hunting selection. This year's pick: an enamel teapot, a satellite phone, a dressage whip and, not to forget, some memorable impressions from my first visit to the fair's weaponry section.

An alternative breed of Dubai city guides

May 16, 2014 by Lisa Reinisch in books, Dubai, local culture, photography, recommendations, UAE, travel

Two new guide books take it upon themselves to reveal the hidden charms of Dubai, a city routinely dismissed by travel writers as artificial, crass and devoid of character. It seems both books (Uncommon Dubai, edited by Hind Shoufani, and Soul of Dubai, sponsored by the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority) have their work cut out for them. After all, the churn of ready-made write-ups about Dubai is thoroughly entrenched. But now an alternative breed of locally produced guide books is emerging, partly in response to incessant one-dimensional portrayals, partly as a result of a revival in the city's cultural and intellectual life. Their message to the world: forget everything you've heard about Dubai and look at the city through the eyes of its inhabitants.

Good deed of the week? Go see Champ of the Camp

February 01, 2014 by Lisa Reinisch in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, construction, launches, Movies, UAE, cinema

This weekend, Champ of The Camp, the remarkable documentary film by locally based filmmaker Mahmood Kaboor (Being Osama and Grandma: A Thousand Times) hit cinemas nationwide. For a film like this, in a country like this, to get a theatrical release is a major achievement and it follows months of social media campaigning, international press coverage and negotiations with local distributors. But if ticket sales don’t live up to the distributor’s expectations, Champ of the Camp might disappear from cinemas within days. Right now, there is no better way to support two historically disregarded groups in the UAE: manual workers and independent documentary filmmakers.

Bad ad of the moment: Center for Waste Management - Abu Dhabi

November 17, 2013 by Lisa Reinisch in Abu Dhabi, advertising, bad ad of the moment, comedy, media, UAE

While it is clear that the Center for Waste Management – Abu Dhabi (CWM) is valiantly fighting an uphill struggle to get the general public to dispose of household trash in a responsible manner, this attempt at an innovative public information campaign is not doing them (or us) any favours. Using comic strips to make unsavoury topics such as pest control and domestic hygiene more palatable is not a bad approach. But cramming cultural and gender stereotypes into six panels of patronising storyline is no way to go about it.