April 2, 2008
The Bidoun Cinema and Video Lounge at Art Dubai
In the Art Park at Art Dubai, March 19-22, 2008
Madinat Arena, Madinat Jumeirah
Middle East arts organisation Bidoun has created a bespoke 40-seater cinema and a video lounge at Art Dubai, as part of the Art Park, a new area of the fair dedicated to video and installation.
The Bidoun Lounge is designed by local gallery and interiors specialists Traffic. Using funky ‘Soft’ seating by Vancouver-based studio Molo, and Arabic-English typography by Dubai-based graphic designer Huda AbiFares, the Lounge is a place to drink, eat, and view artists’ films. It will also host book launches and other events during the art fair.
Three programmes of films featuring work by 20 artists make up the largest show of video art staged in the Gulf to date.
Besides established names such as Haluk Akakce and Akram Zaatari, the programmes include upcoming artists such as Lebanese filmmaker Ziad Antar, Cairo-based Nadine Khan, and Tehran’s Shahab Fotouhi.
The Bidoun Cinema project celebrates the current vibrancy of the regional artists’ video scene, and aims to give local audiences a rare opportunity to view and explore this work in the UAE.
Screening film programmes in the cinema on the hour, every hour, during the fair. Special screenings were also held for local and visiting international filmmakers, artists and students followed by debates with the curators and artists.
Meanwhile, plasma screens in the Bidoun Lounge make up a ‘video bar’ showing a continuous roll of films for more intimate viewing.