The UAE’s guide to all things cultural, creative and inbetween. Informative, pointed, educated. And free! Sign up for our weekly newsletter (and no spam) at bit.ly/47D9k3Xhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mvoxzovorr2yWhy stop at auctions? Chez Sotheby's is a week-long pop-up restaurant running in a Rue de Rivoli apartment during Art Basel Paris next month. F&B plus c.$150m worth of art on the walls https://tinyurl.com/5b4c9eb6?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica17 Sep 2026 06:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvoxzovorr2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mvmuxmdrga2kWhat Jonathan Swift has to say about AI https://tinyurl.com/4a3be6w2?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica16 Sep 2026 10:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvmuxmdrga2khttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mvmobiunlm2q"Put your scientist goggles on ... Think of your opinions as hunches." Some decent advice on creative rethinking https://tinyurl.com/4zvem7rh?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica16 Sep 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvmobiunlm2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mvmhket44l2lStudies find most people agree with Trump and King Charles in preferring 'traditional' architecture (tho architecture students disagree). "The results ... suggest that there is substantial public discontent with the dominant trends in modern architecture" https://tinyurl.com/3uvbztnd?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica16 Sep 2026 06:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvmhket44l2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mvkeiu7rde2lThe always excellent Cory Doctorow with insights about the Hugging Face hack: it's the LLMs, not the agents. "The chatbots didn't 'go rogue', they did what they were designed to do ...: Still worrying, mind https://tinyurl.com/4v77n7mw?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica 15 Sep 2026 10:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvkeiu7rde2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mvk5sfu7ov2lEmbattled Kennedy Center warns of imminent bankruptcy and closure https://tinyurl.com/2ynfxhyk?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica15 Sep 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvk5sfu7ov2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mvjx3pfpkm2lThe UN has backed a Correct the Map resolution which promotes projections like Equal Earth over trad Mercator to show Africa more realistically. The US of course voted against it because it was woke (promotes "an ideological agenda") https://tinyurl.com/36m35rk6?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica15 Sep 2026 06:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvjx3pfpkm2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mvjqevfd2k2q#MAGPIESEZ It only took eight years, but magpie has a new website! Same great content, easier to find it; and in a much cooler package ... Let us know if you find any glitches, we're only human (no AI was harmed in the making of this website) https://magpie.ae?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica15 Sep 2026 04:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvjqevfd2k2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mvhtzovmzj2xA new Anthropic report on AI misuse lists several case studies showing “malicious activity” by criminals and state-sponsored organisations (inc “a UAE-directed influence operation”). Grim stuff https://tinyurl.com/3a7aybh2?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica14 Sep 2026 10:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvhtzovmzj2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mvhnd5p7dp2kThe housing crunch made tangible: Swedish developer Riksbyggen and BBDO Nordics have designed three apartment homes based on what a 25-year-old can afford to buy in threeSwedis cities. Stockholm's measures just 1.9 sq m; the biggest, for Umeå, is 4.5 sq m https://tinyurl.com/324dcucy?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica14 Sep 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvhnd5p7dp2khttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mvhgms3ojq2lWhat's wrong with those labels next to artworks in museums? Ben Davis for Artnet thinks he knows – and how to fix them (TLDR: their writers should use the inverted pyramid journalists are supposedly taught. And he's right) https://tinyurl.com/5v7ze6tc?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica14 Sep 2026 06:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvhgms3ojq2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mvh7vxgacq2pDEADLINE 21 September 2026 Redesign Dubai’s Al Safa Park 2 using AI tools (demonstrating that such tools can be at the heart of creating inclusive, human-centred environments). Three cash prizes totalling AED 200,000 https://tinyurl.com/43jmjtjr?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica14 Sep 2026 04:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvh7vxgacq2phttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mvew5vqjri26Daily Doodle Club is a shared drawing practice is not a competition, not a challenge – spend up to 5 mins drawing, share what you make, show up again, and "please HAVE FUN" Motto: “Consistency over perfection. Community above algorithms” An excellent idea https://doodleclub.dfos.com/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica13 Sep 2026 06:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvew5vqjri26https://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mvcfop2v242xA valiant attempt to find the Greatest Hits compilation with the fewest hits on it https://tinyurl.com/3jcy88wk?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica12 Sep 2026 06:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvcfop2v242xhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mvacnhoru72qIn many countries, WhatsApp actually *is* the internet for most practical purposes. So what would happen if it was switched off? https://tinyurl.com/b536zj5n?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica11 Sep 2026 10:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvacnhoru72qhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mva3wkkgwo2bHow The End of History happened https://tinyurl.com/4zukpk4k?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica11 Sep 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mva3wkkgwo2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mv7v7si5nz2yA California lawsuit alleges the $1bn Lucas Museum of Narrative Art isn't really a museum at all https://tinyurl.com/4aha27kd?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica11 Sep 2026 06:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv7v7si5nz2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mv7oj7il4q2pArtsy's recommendations for Berlin Art Week (now – 13 Sept) https://tinyurl.com/yh3jt6aw?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica11 Sep 2026 04:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv7oj7il4q2phttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mv5s6oneab2lA ‘what does it all mean’ summary of news coverage of Jacob Coxon’s resignation from Anthropic over fears that AI could spiral out of control and destroy humanity https://tinyurl.com/y5hy4dvx?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica10 Sep 2026 10:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv5s6oneab2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mv5li2kbms2q"A good critic is a kind of lightning conductor who picks out the energy in what they read and passes it on to others." Colin Burrow in LRB on what literary criticism is for https://tinyurl.com/37fpfyw3?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica10 Sep 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv5li2kbms2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mv5eqxpw3w2lThe Deans’ Choice with Bonhams (that’s Kasseem Dean and Alicia Keys) is a programme for Bonhams’ US auctions where consignors choose to commit a percentage of sale proceeds to the artist: Bonhams gives a matching percentage from the buyer’s premium https://tinyurl.com/3jhspy3y?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica10 Sep 2026 06:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv5eqxpw3w2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mv562bxedc2l#MAGPIESEZ It's magpie weekly time! Here's the best free guide to the UAE's arts and culture scene, packed into our sharp new package – this time with butterfly effects, a comedy cornucopia, and how to make art cities https://tinyurl.com/zpy47kzj?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica10 Sep 2026 04:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv562bxedc2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mv3bp3lzbv2kTen tips for how (and why) to cull your book collection, courtesy of LitHub https://tinyurl.com/yc3s2hxr?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica09 Sep 2026 10:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv3bp3lzbv2khttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mv32zhtska2xWhy filmmakers love the cello https://tinyurl.com/27z7ds7b?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica09 Sep 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv32zhtska2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mv2v4qqaly2gCan a weekend fit into an hour? And how is it possible to choreograph the freedom and improvisation of club techno? The Butterfly Who Flew Into the Rave is coming – expect an exhausting, exhilarating watch – so we asked Oli Mathieson, its key progenitor https://tinyurl.com/3m7w6rrh?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica09 Sep 2026 06:15 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv2v4qqaly2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3mv2nle7h272lWas Renoir actually any good at painting? The touring blockbuster 'Renoir and Love' prompts ArtNet's Jo Lawson-Tancred to put the boot in ("the question of whether or not Renoir sucks at painting has led some to ponder whether, in fact, he just sucks") https://tinyurl.com/jtkj9uzt?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica09 Sep 2026 04:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv2nle7h272lhttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3muyranl6232pThe joy of making stuff (with a 3D printer: this starts at less than $400 and is often on sale, apparently) https://tinyurl.com/ymnukyk6?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica08 Sep 2026 10:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3muyranl6232phttps://bsky.app/profile/magpieuae.bsky.social/post/3muykjt75dz2xLondon’s Serpentine Galleries has launched of a 6-month fellowship programme for AI art. The four artists who each get £10,000 are Reina Mun, Alice Bucknell, Alfredo Salazar-Caro and Auriea Harvey https://tinyurl.com/474ftnzh?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica08 Sep 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:zglravculamrjwvbtmw6utcf/app.bsky.feed.post/3muykjt75dz2x