Welcome to this week’s Inside Indie!
Let’s dive in – starting with the highlights:
- Faberge hatches collaboration with ‘Game of Thrones’ on $2.2 million bejewelled ‘dragon’ egg to mark the fantasy show’s 10th anniversary
- ‘Haweia’: winning entry for The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award 2020 revealed
- Indie filmmakers begin using NFTs as a new crowdfunding method
Faberge’s bejewelled ‘dragon’ egg for Game of Thrones 10th anniversary
House of Faberge, known for their intricate bejewelled eggs, has announced a very special addition to their collection: a 2.2 million egg for Game of Thrones’ 10th anniversary.
Inspired by Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons’ eggs, the piece, which has been unveiled in sketch form, will incorporate white gold, rubies and diamonds that opens to reveal a winged dragon, a miniature crown, and a pear-cut ruby.
The finished bespoke piece will be revealed later this year.
‘Haweia’, which means identity in Arabic, was conceived by three architecture students from the American University of Sharjah. They received $10,000 in prize money to complete the installation, which is now fully installed at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus.
The 2020 winning entry isn’t currently open for in-person viewing but you can see a detailed 360° view, as well as a time-lapse video of its installation. It consists of a smooth exterior facade of folded aluminium that is shaped like an oculus, while the interior features reflective surfaces and fins that are framed to offer different perspectives. The purpose is to give visitors a lens through which they can discover different configurations of their haweia as they move inside the piece.
The award is granted to students and young artists who propose artworks intended to be shown publicly and draw from elements of architecture, installation, photography, video and land art, similar to the work of the duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
2021’s winner is expected to be announced later this year; applications are open every October to February.
Indie filmmakers – and even Hollywood – are exploring ways to use Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) to financial projects.
One person who successfully explored that is Trevor Hawkins who created two types of NFTs to help finance his debut film “Lotawana”: 1,000 tokens of $1,000 NFTs that give owners a share of the film’s profits, and $100 tokens to access the movie’s online premiere. Hawkins also revealed to Indie Wire that he’s finalizing a deal that will allow him to sell NFTs connected to “Lotawana” film stills, scripts, posters, and other collectibles.
On the Hollywood side, Film finance firm The Forest Road Company as well as streaming and distribution company Cinedigm are among the early adopters of NFT financing, with the former closing a deal to make pre-production investments in exchange for the right to sell associated collectibles using NFTs and the latter using them as a reward for subscribers.
Upcoming Events
Abu Dhabi Festival Ramadan Concert Series. April 20 – May 12. Livestream at 9:30pm. Free but registration is required.
Abu Dhabi Festival’s second Ramadan Series is an unexpected intersection of the contemporary and the traditional, where spiritual beauty and elegant creativity come together in the spirit of this blessed time. In a range of disciplines, from opera to Sufi chant to genre-bending pop, these performances exemplify the key qualities of the holy month, a gathering that calls for tolerance, respect and love.
Middle East Institute. Panel Discussion: Narrating Memories of The Homeland: Paris-Based Syrian Artists Reflect On The War. April 21. Zoom session at 6pm. Free but registration is required.
The Middle East Institute’s Arts and Culture Center and The Cultural Services of the French Embassy are hosting a conversation with leading Syrian contemporary artists, Bady Dalloul and Nagham Hodaifa. The Paris-based artists will reflect on the past decade of conflict and trauma, its impact and influence on their work and their relationship to their homeland.
Sharjah Art Foundation. Every Friday until April 30. Free online screening but registration is required.
A selection of films from the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection will be screened online in parallel with the Unsettled Objects exhibition. Q&A sessions with the film directors will follow the screenings.
Ramadan at MAS. Manarat Al Saadiyat. April 15 – May 12. 10am – 11pm. Passes available at Virgin Megastore.
Manarat Al Saadiyat is offering visitors of all ages the opportunity to flex their creativity this Ramadan with a series of exhibitions, events, workshops, and more.
Have an event or want to share some news for the indie community? Contact us at creativity.undefined@outlook.com
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