Semi Permanent Middle East 2021
14 — 16 October 2021
Manarat Al Saadiyat and W Abu Dhabi
This October, the biggest creativity and design festival in the southern hemisphere comes to the Middle East for the first time.
After more than a year of restricted social interaction, Semi Permanent returns in 2021 with refreshed vigour and a mandate to provide unique human experiences. In our first festival in the Middle East, Semi Permanent will present three days of talks, performances, dining experiences, art installations and screenings from a standout line-up of acclaimed global creative talent aimed at offering fresh and unique perspectives on our world post-pandemic. Tickets for Semi Permanent Middle East have now been released, but you’d better be quick: in ensuring this is a Covid-safe experience, this is a festival experience like no other. Intimate and exclusive, this is your chance to dive into the creative processes of the world’s best artists, musicians, designers and more. From an exclusive interview with award-winning DJ and songwriter Mark Ronson to a pop-up bar and restaurant by New York establishment The Flower Shop and an installation by the genre-defying artist Refik Anadol, Semi Permanent is your window into the current state of global creativity. See you in Abu Dhabi.
Speakers & Artists
Schedule (Local Times)
9:00 AM
Doors Open
9:50 AM
Opening Address with Murray Bell
10:00 AM
Talk ∙ 30 minutes
Brian Roettinger
10:30 AM
Talk ∙ 30 minutes
Ismail Zaidy
11:00 AM
Break / Exhibitions
12:00 PM
Talk ∙ 30 minutes
Willo Perron
12:30 PM
Talk ∙ 30 minutes
Mark Ronson
2:00 PM
Close
3:00 PM
Doors Open
3:50 PM
Opening Address with Murray Bell
4:00 PM
Talk ∙ 30 minutes
Andrea Brocca
4:30 PM
Talk ∙ 30 minutes
Refik Anadol
5:00 PM
Break / Exhibitions
6:00 PM
Panel ∙ 30 minutes
Traditional Crafts in the 21st Century
6:30 PM
Talk ∙ 30 minutes
Dana Hourani
7:00 PM
Talk ∙ 30 minutes
Azra Khamissa
8:30 PM
Close
All day
Retail Pop-Up
Haydenshapes Pop-Up
Explore the Haydenshapes Signature Marble Collection, hand-crafted surfboards featuring a proprietary printed silk inlay that seamlessly wraps around the rails connecting each marble vein as though it were cut from stone.
All day
Retail Pop-Up
Lucy Folk Pop-Up
Shop exclusive items at the Lucy Folk pop-up, an Australian nomadic lifestyle brand inspired by travel, art, design, and wellbeing.
All day
Installation
Refik Anadol Installation
Immerse yourself in Anadol's moving lifeforms with a first-of-its-kind work exclusive to the region.
All day
Drink and dine
The Flower Shop NYC
Be transported to New York’s Lower East Side at our pop-up of iconic bar and restaurant The Flower Shop
All day
Exhibitions
La Rosa Social Club
The pop-up art exhibition of Los Angeles-based filmmaker, art curator and cultural icon Aaron Rose, La Rosa Social Club, will make its debut in the Middle East with a host of world-renowned contemporary artmakers.
8:00 PM
8:10 PM
Performance
Dan Greenpeace DJ Set
9:30 PM
Performance ∙ 1 hour
Mark Ronson DJ Set
Join us at W Abu Dhabi to celebrate the inaugural Semi Permanent Middle East as we create the best party in town, including an exclusive DJ set by Grammy- and Oscar-winning record producer and songwriter Mark Ronson.
10:30 PM
Performance ∙ 1 hour
Dan Greenpeace DJ Set
11:30 PM
10:00 AM
Doors Open
10:55 AM
Opening Address with Murray Bell
11:00 AM
Talk ∙ 30 minutes
Nourie Flayhan
11:30 AM
Talk ∙ 30 minutes
Ryan McGinley
12:00 PM
Break / Exhibitions
1:00 PM
Talk ∙ 30 minutes
Johanna Jackson
1:30 PM
Panel ∙ 30 minutes
Oana Stanescu & Tarik Zaharna
3:00 PM
Close
4:00 PM
4:50 PM
Opening Address with Murray Bell
5:00 PM
Talk ∙ 30 minutes
Bünyamin Aydin
5:30 PM
Talk ∙ 30 minutes
Verhaal Studio
6:00 PM
Break / Exhibitions
7:00 PM
Panel ∙ 30 minutes
Moath Alofi & Hussain AlMoosawi
7:30 PM
Talk ∙ 30 minutes
Aaron Rose
8:00 PM
Talk ∙ 40 minutes
Daniel Arsham Talk
Arsham will take to the stage (on the evening of Friday 15th October) to discuss his creative process and his recent projects, offering rare and unrivalled insight into the mind of one of the world’s leading creative practitioners.
9:30 PM
Close
All day
Retail Pop-Up
Haydenshapes Pop-Up
Explore the Haydenshapes Signature Marble Collection, hand-crafted surfboards featuring a proprietary printed silk inlay that seamlessly wraps around the rails connecting each marble vein as though it were cut from stone.
All day
Retail Pop-Up
Lucy Folk Pop-Up
Shop exclusive items at the Lucy Folk pop-up, an Australian nomadic lifestyle brand inspired by travel, art, design, and wellbeing.
All day
Installation
Refik Anadol Installation
Immerse yourself in Anadol's moving lifeforms with a first-of-its-kind work exclusive to the region.
All day
Drink and dine
The Flower Shop NYC
Be transported to New York’s Lower East Side at our pop-up of iconic bar and restaurant The Flower Shop
All day
Exhibitions
La Rosa Social Club
The pop-up art exhibition of Los Angeles-based filmmaker, art curator and cultural icon Aaron Rose, La Rosa Social Club, will make its debut in the Middle East with a host of world-renowned contemporary artmakers.
11:00 AM
Doors Open
11:30 AM
Film Screening ∙ 1 hour 30 minutes
MAU Film Screening
MAU is the first-ever, feature-length documentary about the design visionary Bruce Mau. The film explores his unlikely creative journey and ever-optimistic push to tackle the world’s biggest problems with design.
1:00 PM
Experience ∙ 3 hours
Open for Exhibitions
4:00 PM
Close
All day
Retail Pop-Up
Haydenshapes Pop-Up
Explore the Haydenshapes Signature Marble Collection, hand-crafted surfboards featuring a proprietary printed silk inlay that seamlessly wraps around the rails connecting each marble vein as though it were cut from stone.
All day
Retail Pop-Up
Lucy Folk Pop-Up
Shop exclusive items at the Lucy Folk pop-up, an Australian nomadic lifestyle brand inspired by travel, art, design, and wellbeing.
All day
Installation
Refik Anadol Installation
Immerse yourself in Anadol's moving lifeforms with a first-of-its-kind work exclusive to the region.
All day
Drink and dine
The Flower Shop NYC
Be transported to New York’s Lower East Side at our pop-up of iconic bar and restaurant The Flower Shop
All day
Exhibitions
La Rosa Social Club
The pop-up art exhibition of Los Angeles-based filmmaker, art curator and cultural icon Aaron Rose, La Rosa Social Club, will make its debut in the Middle East with a host of world-renowned contemporary artmakers.
Information
- Manarat Al Saadiyat is the Abu Dhabi home of art, cultural and community events; where everyone can come together to share, consider, and create all types of creative artistic expression.Set in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s cultural hub of Saadiyat Island, Manarat Al Saadiyat is a haven for anyone and everyone to hang out, relax, be inspired and explore a diverse range of artistic expressions. Discover an exhibition, exchange ideas, enjoy delectable food, attend a talk or enjoy a movie… Manarat Al Saadiyat is your destination.We celebrate Abu Dhabi’s booming diversity and creativity and also encourage innovative art projects We support entrepreneurship and encourage grassroots initiatives developed by in our communities.