Jeddah’s Hayy Jameel arts hub stages international group show

‘Staircase V’ by Do Ho Suh. Supplied
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Updated 08 June 2022
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Jeddah’s Hayy Jameel arts hub stages international group show

DUBAI: A new group show at the Hayy Jameel arts hub in Jeddah is bringing a bevy of artworks to the Kingdom, including a selection of works by artists who are being showcased in the country for the first time.

“The Distance from Here” runs from June 8 – Oct. 25, 2022 and explores spaces of transition, both physical and conceptual.

The exhibition includes major works drawn largely from the Art Jameel Collection, on view for the first time in Saudi Arabia. “The Distance from Here” is accompanied by a new publication; public and learning initiatives; newly commissioned performance and installation works; and a residency program. Featured artists range from up-and-coming creatives to established talents.




Yto Barrada, Lyautey Unit Blocks, 2010. (Supplied)

The artists include Mona Ayyash, Yto Barrada, Hicham Benohoud, Sarah Brahim, Jason Dodge, Shilpa Gupta, Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Anup Mathew Thomas, Filwa Nazer, Sreshta Rit Premnath, Hrair Sarkissian and Do Ho Suh.

Some of the works include Lebanese duo Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige’s “A Letter Can Always Reach Its Destination,” a video and hologram installation from 2012.

The work is part of their long-term “On Scams” project, for which they spent almost 20 years collecting spam and scam emails.

This particular work uses the text of selected spam and scams voiced by non-professional actors so that they “seem transformed into scenarios for monologues — stories that become captivating, even moving, because they are told by what seems to be a ‘real’ person,” the brochure says. “Nevertheless, the presence and complex layering of technological communication is echoed in the display, where one projection is ephemerally superimposed upon another, creating a ghostlike sensibility where the virtual and physical meet.”




Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige’s “A Letter Can Always Reach Its Destination,” a video and hologram installation from 2012. Supplied

Meanwhile, Hicham Benohoud’s “The Classroom” is a striking photography series shot over eight years around the turn of the millennium when he was working as an art teacher in Marrakech. “He actively involved his students in the making process, often providing physical constraints, prescribing specific poses and gestures or offering up different accessories to wear or use in order to construct within the space,” the brochure explains.

“Background” by Syrian artist Hrair Sarkissian was inspired by memories of his father’s studio in Damascus. The work highlights “the disappearance of a tradition of studio portraiture integral to the history and development of Middle Eastern photography in the twentieth century by documenting one of its central artefacts: the studio backdrop.” Sarkissian photographed hundreds of backdrops he discovered in Alexandria, Amman, Beirut, Byblos, Istanbul and Cairo, then selected one from each of the six cities to create images that “both monumentalize and eulogize their subject.” Seeing the backdrops empty like this, without a sitter in front of them, gives them an eerily desolate atmosphere, “like ruins or relics of a tradition that has finally run its course.”


‘Ocean’ — bleak indictment of mankind offers a glimmer of hope

Updated 13 June 2025
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‘Ocean’ — bleak indictment of mankind offers a glimmer of hope

  • David Attenborough’s latest documentary is a vital, compelling call to action

JEDDAH: “Ocean with David Attenborough” was released regionally on Disney+ on June 8 — World Ocean Day. It hit cinemas in May, on the 99th birthday of its venerable and venerated presenter, the famed biologist and broadcaster.

Like all Attenborough-fronted nature docs, “Ocean” is gorgeously shot and an immersive viewing experience. But while the vast majority of his output leaves you speechless at the on-screen beauty, “Ocean” also strikes you dumb at the horrifying devastation wrought on the open seas by the 40,000+ super-sized fishing trawlers operating around our planet constantly.

Sweeping the seabed with their giant nets, these ships commit slaughter on an unimaginable scale, leaving little alive in their rapacious search for a few specific species that humans actually eat. In their wake they leave something akin to the dystopian portrayals of a nuclear winter in post-apocalyptic dramas. These grim, heart-breaking shots are interspersed with glorious, vibrant scenes of what a healthy seabed should look like — towering forests of kelp, sea meadows, abundant diverse communities of extraordinary marine life… A reminder of what we are destroying every minute of every day.

Attenborough lays out for us with all of his trademark passion and authority just what is at risk here. The seas, he stresses, are vital for the survival of humankind. And humankind is putting the seas in terrible jeopardy. Marine ecosystems are delicately balanced and linked in complex, subtle ways that we are only now beginning to understand. And industrial fishing is far from subtle. As Attenborough notes, if rainforests were being razed at this rate, the protests would be global and furious. But because this destruction takes place miles below the surface of the water, it goes mainly unnoticed. Incredibly, this mindless, untargeted carnage is not illegal; it is positively encouraged — and heavily subsidized — by many governments. 

Thankfully, there is hope. Attenborough reveals that scientists have discovered that — if left alone through the imposition of “no-take zones” — the oceans can recover at an incredible rate, and the most barren of sea floors can once again flourish in just a few years. There is now an international pact to turn one-third of Earth’s seas into no-take zones by 2030. And if this does happen — note the if — then there’s a good chance that man-made damage can be reversed not just in the water, but on land, as sea life is, it turns out, extremely adept at reducing carbon. The sea could save the world.

As nature documentaries go, it’s hard to imagine “Ocean” being bettered (except perhaps for the distracting clichéd mishmash that serves as its soundtrack, which deserves to be classified as a man-made disaster itself). This is a compelling, vital and urgent narrative delivered by an expert scientist and broadcaster accompanied by awe-inspiring, mind-boggling cinematography showing us wonders that most of us will never come close to seeing first-hand. And it lays out a path for survival. Whether we actually take that path...


Streaming successes: What’s coming to your screens later this year 

Updated 13 June 2025
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Streaming successes: What’s coming to your screens later this year 

  • From stressed-out cooks to foul-mouthed spymasters, the must-see shows still to come in 2025 

‘Squid Game’ season 3 

Starring: Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-joon 

Where: Netflix  

When: June 27 

The final season of the South Korean survival thriller about a game show where the rewards are enormous but loss means death, Seong Gi-hun (or player 456, as you might know him) and his friends must fight for survival in ever-more fiendish challenges. The VIPs — the wealthy individuals who fund the games — return to the island once again, perhaps setting the stage for a vengeance-fueled finale and a showdown between the Front Man and his brother, police officer Jun-ho. 

‘Ironheart’ 

Starring: Dominique Thorne, Anthony Ramos, Lyric Ross 

Where: Disney+ 

When: June 25 

This Marvel miniseries is a spinoff from the “Black Panther” movie franchise and follows MIT student and genius inventor Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, who was responsible for creating the vibranium detector that sparked the events of 2022’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” in which she also invented an exoskeleton to rival that of Tony Stark/Ironman so that she could fight alongside the Wakandans. Now Williams has returned home to Chicago, where she meets Parker Robbins, aka The Hood, who is able to access dark magic, setting Williams on a “path of danger and adventure.”  

‘The Bear’ season 4 

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri 

Where: Disney+ 

When: June 26 

The first two seasons of the horribly tense kitchen-based drama “The Bear” were fantastic TV. The third? Not so much. (Although it should be said that even weak episodes of “The Bear” are still better than the vast majority of shows.) But hopefully season four finds super-talented chef Carmy Berzatto and his crew back on form as they try to make a success of the titular family restaurant which they’ve shifted from run-down sandwich shop to fine-dining venue. And after a wait of almost a year, we’ll finally get to find out what that all-important review said. 

‘Wednesday’ season 2  

Starring: Jenna Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzman 

Where: Netflix  

When: August 6 

Wednesday Addams is back at Nevermore Academy for another year. And this time around, the rest of her spooky, kooky family will be spending a lot more time there, too — much to Wednesday’s chagrin — and not just because her brother Pugsley has enrolled. Co-showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have promised a “darker, more complex” series. And at Netlix’s live Tudum event last month, it was announced that Lady Gaga will be guest starring as the “mysterious and enigmatic” Nevermore teacher Rosaline Rotwood. 

‘Slow Horses’ season 5 

Starring: Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas 

Where: Apple+ TV 

When: Sept. 24 

Former British super-spy Jackson Lamb and his unfortunate crew of misfit spooks return for another series of this excellent, darkly humorous espionage drama. This time around, the trouble starts when Slough House’s resident tech nerd Roddy gets a glamorous new girlfriend, who everyone — or, at least, everyone except for Roddy — can see is well out of his league. The show is an adaptation of Mick Herron’s “Slough House” novels, and this season is based on “London Rules.” “Ted Lasso” star Nick Mohammed is perhaps the biggest new name to join the cast; he'll be playing an ambitious London mayoral candidate. 

‘Stranger Things’ season 5 

Starring: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown 

Where: Netflix 

When: November 26 

The final (really?) season of the phenomenally successful Eighties-set sci-fi horror drama has a lot to live up to. Once again, psychokinetic Eleven and her pals in Hawkins, Indiana, must fight to save the Earth from the alternate dimension known as the Upside Down. Since its arrival on our screens in 2016, “Stranger Things” has been one of the world’s most talked-about and beloved series. Showrunners The Duffer Brothers have got pretty much everything right so far. Can they stick the landing? 


REVIEW: ‘Stick’ — Apple’s golf-based comedy unlikely to rival ‘Ted Lasso’ success

Updated 58 min 31 sec ago
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REVIEW: ‘Stick’ — Apple’s golf-based comedy unlikely to rival ‘Ted Lasso’ success

  • Owen Wilson’s charisma shines through, but ‘Stick’ is forgettable fluff

JEDDAH: You remember “Ted Lasso,” right? The Jason Sudeikis-fronted feelgood football-based sporting comedy that was a huge hit for Apple? Apple sure does. Hence “Stick.”

The Jason Sudeikis of “Stick” is Owen Wilson — a solid choice, possessed of a similar goofy charisma and real comedy pedigree. The football of “Stick” is golf. Which, while it’s easier to convincingly replicate to a high standard on screen (the supposedly elite football action in “Ted Lasso” was, unintentionally, just as hilarious as its best jokes) is also nowhere near as visually engaging as football. So “Stick” already has a lot of work to do.

The plot: Wilson is former pro golfer Pryce “Stick” Cahill, a serious talent who had a serious meltdown during a televised tournament, basically ruining his life. He now sells golf gear, gives lessons, and carries out side hustles with his former caddy Mitts (Marc Maron, doing what Marc Maron does — grumpy, cynical, with a glimpse of heart). And he’s going through a protracted divorce with a woman he still clearly loves but who has moved on.

One day, Pryce spots a young teen, Santi (Peter Dager), smashing balls further than most pros manage. Pryce quickly identifies that Santi is a prodigy and convinces his single mom Elena (Mariana Trevino) to let him coach/manage/try and qualify Santi for the US amateur championships. This involves a road trip in Mitts’ RV. It also involves Pryce handing over $100,000 that he really can’t afford to Elena to prove to her he’s serious. She knows Santi’s good, but since his dad — and former coach — left them, he hasn’t wanted to play golf at all. Santi is hugely talented, but prone to losing his head if things don’t go perfectly for him.

And that’s about it (in episodes up to the time of writing). We follow the mismatched crew on their road trip; Santi plays some golf and wows people; Pryce kind of becomes a substitute dad; Mitts and Elena bicker in a kind of flirty way. Nothing much happens, no huge laughs are had, Dager is a convincing mix of adolescent arrogance and angst, and Wilson is his usual quirky, charming self.

There’s nothing to hate about “Stick,” but there’s nothing really to love about it either. It’s nice. It’s vaguely entertaining. I’m already forgetting it.


Recipes for Success: Chef Davisha Burrowes offers advice and a tasty recipe  

Updated 13 June 2025
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Recipes for Success: Chef Davisha Burrowes offers advice and a tasty recipe  

RIYADH: The Mediterranean dining venue The Lighthouse, founded in the UAE, recently opened its first Saudi outpost in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter. 

“I like to describe the Lighthouse menu as a celebration of fresh and seasonal ingredients that represent the Mediterranean culturally as a whole,” says its executive chef Davisha Burrowes. “I think it’s a perfect balance between East and West.” 

Burrowes — who grew up in Barbados — caught the culinary bug early. 

“I was around nine years old when I started cooking,” she says. “And that just grew around the age of 14 or 15. I did a few competitions in Barbados, and from there, I took my degree in culinary arts, worked around the world in different cuisines, then finally landed with the Lighthouse.” 

The Lighthouse recently opened its first Saudi outpost in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter. (Supplied)

When you started out, what was the most common mistake you made?  

I think all young chefs tend to seek perfection. I was definitely overthinking the little things. And when you overthink, you tend to overcomplicate and overseason. and throughout the years, with growth from maturing as a chef, I will tell anyone that lasts this morning. 

What’s your top tip for amateur chefs? 

Experiment. Don’t be afraid to try new things — new flavors, new blends. Go with the flow a little bit, and don’t be so hard on yourself. Some of the best recipes, by a lot of chefs around the world, have been born through mistakes. 

What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish? And why? 

Probably a fresh squeeze of lemon. It brightens, it lifts, it cuts through very rich flavors as well. But personally, I think the best ingredient you can put in a dish is love, cooking with your heart, with your passion, just enjoying it and giving respect to each ingredient, whether it’s something as humble as an onion or a piece of foie gras. 

When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food? 

It depends. If I go to somewhere casual, you know, I take it for what it is. I manage my expectations. I also work within hospitality, so I know there can be certain challenges within the back of house and within the operation. But if I’m going somewhere where I have high expectations, then I hold them to a certain level. 

The Lighthouse was founded in the UAE. (Supplied)

What’s your favorite cuisine? 

I love Japanese cuisine. I worked in Japanese cuisine for two years, so I love a good selection of Nigiri platter. It needs precision, but it’s very, very simple.   

What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home? 

I love cooking spaghetti carbonara. It has very few ingredients, it takes minimal effort, but it also has its intricacies. 

What’s your favorite dish to cook?   

If time’s not a factor, then it’s a barbecue. Going back to my roots, I’m from the Caribbean, and we do a lot of barbecue — it’s always summer in the Caribbean, so we do a lot of cooking outdoors. So, definitely a barbecue feast or a grazing plate.   

What customer behavior most annoys you?  

I wouldn’t say it necessarily “annoys” me, but I do get a little disappointed when some ingredients are swapped out of dishes — especially ingredients that are essential to the harmony of the dish. As chefs, we spend a lot of time curating dishes, making sure the flavors are balanced, so when ingredients are swapped out, it just changes the whole experience that we’re trying to offer. 

As a leader, what are you like? Are you a disciplinarian? Or are you more laid back?   

I prefer to inspire rather than intimidate. I’m very hands-on in the kitchen. I like to lead by example. I think that as a chef — or as a leader in any field — it’s important that the team see you do it, so they can have the encouragement to do it on their own. 

Chef Davisha’s charred aubergine with labneh and hot honey harissa 

(Serves 2) 

Ingredients: 

 For the Charred Aubergine:  

1 large eggplant (aubergine)  

1 tbsp olive oil  

2 tbsp labneh (or see Labneh Mix below)  

1 tbsp hot honey harissa (see Hot Honey Harissa below)  

1 tsp toasted pine nuts  

A few fresh chives, finely chopped  

Salt and pepper to taste  

For the Labneh Mix (optional, for a more flavorful labneh):  

60g labneh  

0g Greek yogurt  

Pinch of table salt  

1 tsp fresh lemon juice  

For the Hot Honey Harissa:  

20g butter  

10g olive oil  

3g harissa paste (or more for extra heat)  

1g crushed chili flakes  

5g smoked paprika  

10g honey  

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Char the Aubergine: Preheat a grill pan or BBQ to high heat. Brush the aubergine halves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  

Place cut-side down on the hot grill and cook until charred and softened (about 6-8 minutes per side). For a true smoky flavor, roast directly over a gas flame or in a preheated oven at 220°C for 20 minutes.  

Prepare the Labneh Mix (optional): In a bowl, whisk together labneh, Greek yogurt, salt, and lemon juice. Adjust seasoning to taste.  

Make Hot Honey Harissa: In a small saucepan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat.  

Add the harissa paste, chili flakes, smoked paprika, and honey. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat.  

Assemble: Place the charred aubergine on a serving plate. Dollop with labneh (or labneh mix), drizzle generously with hot honey harissa, and scatter toasted pine nuts and chopped chives on top. 

At-home tips  

Labneh Substitute: If you don’t have labneh, use thick Greek yogurt, strained through a cheesecloth or coffee filter for a few hours to mimic labneh’s rich texture.  

Char at Home: If you don’t have a grill, broil the aubergine in your oven or cook it in a cast-iron pan to achieve a similar smoky effect.  

Harissa Hack: No harissa paste? Mix 1 tbsp tomato paste with 1 tsp chili flakes, ½ tsp cumin, and a pinch of smoked paprika for a quick substitute.  

Honey Choices: Use mild, floral honey for a more balanced sauce or a spicy honey to really turn up the heat. 


Book Review: ‘Brief Answers to the Big Questions’

Updated 12 June 2025
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Book Review: ‘Brief Answers to the Big Questions’

  • Final work by the renowned physicist combines complex scientific ideas with accessible explanations, making it a must-read for anyone curious about the cosmos

Stephen Hawking’s “Brief Answers to the Big Questions” is a fascinating and thought-provoking exploration of science’s most profound mysteries, offering insights into the origins of the universe and humanity’s place within it. 

Published in 2018, this final work by the renowned physicist combines complex scientific ideas with accessible explanations, making it a must-read for anyone curious about the cosmos. 

Hawking begins by addressing how the universe came into existence. He explains that the laws of physics are sufficient to describe the universe’s origins, suggesting that it could arise from a state of nothingness due to the balance of positive and negative energy. 

By linking this to the nature of time, which began alongside the universe itself, he offers a perspective grounded in scientific reasoning. 

The book also delves into the evolution of the universe and the evidence supporting it. Hawking discusses how the redshift of light from distant galaxies confirms the universe’s expansion, while the cosmic microwave background radiation provides a glimpse into its dense, hot beginnings. 

Through the anthropic principle, he demonstrates how the unique conditions of our universe make life possible, underscoring how rare such conditions are. 

Hawking also considers the possibility of extraterrestrial life, suggesting that while life may exist elsewhere, intelligent civilizations are unlikely to be nearby or at the same stage of development. He cautions against attempts to communicate with alien life, warning that such interactions could pose risks to humanity. 

One of the book’s most intriguing sections explores black holes. Hawking examines their immense density, the singularity at their core, and the paradox of information loss. He explains how black holes might release information as they evaporate, preserving the fundamental laws of physics. 

Beyond its scientific insights, the book is a call to action. Hawking urges readers to prioritize scientific progress, safeguard the planet, and prepare for the challenges of the future. 

Though some sections may challenge non-experts, “Brief Answers to the Big Questions” remains accessible, inspiring, and deeply insightful — a fitting conclusion to Hawking’s extraordinary legacy.