Final Draft 2023

Come and hang out before all the action begins. There’s a Concept Store, coffee, ice cream and maybe even candyfloss.

Slash founder Nuno Abreu kicks off Final Draft by unpacking the idea behind the event and what it means to think about the identity of, and for, a place.

Urbanist, architect, historian, and the first Emirati woman to be awarded a PhD in urban planning, Dr Alamira Reem is speaking on the story of Abu Dhabi’s rapid development, the emerging architectural identity and what it means for the place we are today.

This masterclass explores the grassroots initiatives that provide the foundation for culture and creativity to blossom in a community. We ask: How does culture grow roots? Who are the culture creators? What collaborations support creativity? What resources and infrastructure are needed?

For those not in the Fiskars Masterclass, some small talk on that question we all get asked in the UAE, “where are you from”, and what it means to be from where you’re from.

This session will unpack the extraordinary story of how Ishinomaki Laboratory was born from the 2011 Japan tsunami, how design brought a devastated community together, and then how that community influenced the designs and the project.

Come and hang out before all the action begins. There’s a Concept Store, coffee, ice cream and maybe even candyfloss.

From Star Wars and Dune to independent productions, how Abu Dhabi is put on film helps define how we’re seen and who we are. Understand the inside workings of the industry as Mariam Khanji from the Abu Dhabi Film Commission explores the big stuff and the little stuff that is cinema in Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

Artist, curator, producer and observer Giuseppe Moscatello talks about what cultural diplomacy is, what it means, why it is such a focus for the UAE and how it comes to life in different spaces, projects, communities and experiments across the UAE.

Pick up some tools and learn the ways of Japanese joinery with the Ishinomaki team as they teach us how to build their famous Ishinomaki stool, the object that started their story after the 2011 Japan tsunami.

A simple, elegant and beautiful little stool. This workshop is hands-on and involves a little bit of sawdust.

When we set out to design a project, we always think in terms of what experiences we might create and how those might be sequenced over time. We talk about creating a path or journey.

Examples of these paths will be presented through key cultural projects like the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Times Square, the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and designs for the National Parks and Norwegian banknotes.

After completion, Snøhetta revisits their projects to perform post-occupancy studies to better understand their creation of values, experience and identity.

Come and hang out before all the action begins. There’s a Concept Store, coffee, ice cream and maybe even candyfloss.

Snøhetta will unpack the transdisciplinary approach and design for “Under”, Europe’s first underwater restaurant. The masterclass will showcase and deep dive into the holistic development from concept, through architecture, interior, bespoke furniture, branding, storytelling and web design.

“Under” is a story of contrasts: the contrast between the landscape and the sea, above and below. The project underscores the delicate ecological balance between land and sea and draws our attention to sustainable models for responsible consumption. By focusing on the coexistence of life on land and in the sea, Under proposes a new way of understanding our relationship to our surroundings: above the surface, under the water, and alongside the life of the sea.

The Snøhetta-designed restaurant also functions as a research centre for marine life, providing a tribute to the wild fauna of the sea and the rocky coastline of Norway’s southern tip.

For those not in the Snøhetta Masterclass, some small talk on that question we all get asked in the UAE, “where are you from”, and what it means to be from where you’re from.

How does one grow a sustainable arts ecosystem? Bill Bragin, the executive artistic director of the Arts Center at New York University Abu Dhabi, will talk about the centre’s commitment to funding career development opportunities for local talent, providing long-term mentorship to emerging artists, and introducing ambitious world-class artists to the UAE as a means to spark local creativity.

From hearing the bands of the early underground hardcore scene to curating the tunes for MIZA’s radio at The Alley, Karam Toubba has been, and is, an interesting part of the UAE’s music scene.

Come listen as he explains the history and the future of the local UAE music scene with some stories and some samples.

Nora Kinnunen and Atte Pylvänäinen are creative practitioners living and working in Fiskars village, Finland. In this keynote they share the story of how this old ironworks village came back to life as a vibrant community for artists, designers and craftspeople. They present the work of local practitioners, discuss the role of organisations and collaborations in developing the local culture, and explore the elements contributing to the shared identity of this creative community.