REVIEW: ‘Returnal’ — a thoughtful and challenging sci-fi adventure

REVIEW: ‘Returnal’ — a thoughtful and challenging sci-fi adventure
'Returnal' is 'intended to be a challenging experience,' according to the game makers. (Supplied)
Short Url
Updated 23 April 2024
Follow

REVIEW: ‘Returnal’ — a thoughtful and challenging sci-fi adventure

REVIEW: ‘Returnal’ — a thoughtful and challenging sci-fi adventure

LONDON: Right from the start, before you even take control of Selene Vassos, a reconnaissance scout who has crash landed on a prohibited and mysterious planet, you are warned that “Returnal” (available originally for PS5 but now PC too) is “intended to be a challenging experience.” Such difficulty may deter the casual gamer used to a steady progression of character and exploration through a games environment. However, “Returnal” is a thoughtful and rewarding adventure that lays claim to much originality of thought in its set up. The key theme is that when you die, you return! But not to the same environment that you were in before. Instead, each new cycle postures new challenges and progress can only be made by unlocking upgrades that allow you to make more meta progress in Selene’s journey.

Selene herself is a super professional, unfazed character who doesn’t appear too bothered when she comes across a body of her former self that died in this strange world where the laws of physics and time appear not to apply. Staying alive is obviously crucial, particularly as it allows her to retain better weapons for longer. In addition, avoiding damage allows for boosts of agility, vision and more, making for a more lethal Selene. The environment is varied and surprising with each incarnation and the weapons on offer come complete with a range of exciting alternative fire mechanisms such as homing missiles or laser-like items. A hostile environment where even plants are a threat to life is mitigated by your technology, the core of which you can improve despite the reset of deaths, through fancy smart “xeno-tech” that becomes integrated with alien kit left around.

There is a paradox in “Returnal” described by Selene herself that she is trapped in an environment that is “always the same, always changing,” which literally makes no sense. Players have to be patient in the early chapters getting used to the sapping dynamic of death and return. Once that makes more sense, the loneliness of both her alien environment and the impossibility of even dying to escape it make for a pretty special atmosphere that a smart shooting engine then complements.


Christina Aguilera to perform in Abu Dhabi

Christina Aguilera to perform in Abu Dhabi
Updated 8 sec ago
Follow

Christina Aguilera to perform in Abu Dhabi

Christina Aguilera to perform in Abu Dhabi

DUBAI: US pop icon Christina Aguilera is set to make her long-awaited return to Abu Dhabi on Feb.15, performing in the UAE capital for the first time in 17 years.

Her gig will be part of Saadiyat Nights, a three-month series of open-air musical events that begins with her show.

Aguilera, known for her four-octave range, will be joined by Iranian performer Ebi, whose real name is Ebrāhim Hāmedi. He will treat fans to an array of hits from across his 50-year career. 

Boyz II Men, the American vocal harmony group and four-time Grammy Award winners, will take to the stage on Jan. 25, while Egyptian composer Omar Khairat will perform a collection of his symphonies on Feb. 1.

 


REVIEW: ‘Joan’ gives Sophie Turner the chance to shine

REVIEW: ‘Joan’ gives Sophie Turner the chance to shine
Updated 22 min 16 sec ago
Follow

REVIEW: ‘Joan’ gives Sophie Turner the chance to shine

REVIEW: ‘Joan’ gives Sophie Turner the chance to shine
  • British actor proves her leading lady credentials in 80s crime drama

LONDON: In the UK, “Joan” is already being touted as one of the best shows of autumn 2024, with early reviews lauding its faithfully recreated Eighties’ setting, stellar soundtrack, and that ‘based on a real person’ kudos that resonates so well with audiences. And, thanks to a star turn from leading lady Sophie Turner, “Joan” could very well have the ingredients to win over viewers around the world too. Because while some of the settings, parlance and stylings do feel very UK-centric, Turner (back on screens for the first time since 2022) is captivating here, turning in a performance as housewife-turned-jewel-thief-turned-crime-boss Joan Hannington that’s loaded with equal parts grit and glamor.

Forced to leave her abusive partner when he falls foul of some local gangsters, Joan can’t seem to catch a break, beset on all sides by men who objectify and underestimate her, or both. She takes a job at a jewelry store working for kindly boss Bernard, only to learn that he, like most of the men in “Joan,” is a slimy creep too. So Joan, desperate to earn enough money to start a new life with her daughter, pockets a handful of diamonds and flees. She meets local antiques dealer (and trader in stolen goods) Boisie, and the two dare to daydream of a world where they can simply take what they want.

Mother Joan is all worry and anxiety, but jewel thief Joan is Eighties’ glamor personified — and Turner, championing the strong shoulder pads and power dressing of the era, drags her character from timid victim to powerful crime boss in short order. As Boisie, Frank Dillane is the equal of his co-star, the chemistry between the two crackling as they tentatively begin to trust one another. If there’s one criticism of “Joan,” it’s that the titular antihero seems to lurch alarmingly from fiery confidence to lovestruck dependence and back again, but with a pair of leads this good, that’s a niggle that can be easily forgiven.


Bayou’s search for identity resonates with global audience

Bayou’s search for identity resonates with global audience
Updated 10 October 2024
Follow

Bayou’s search for identity resonates with global audience

Bayou’s search for identity resonates with global audience
  • The Saudi-born Egyptian singer-songwriter discusses his roots, influences, and upcoming EP ‘Never at Home’ 
  • His performance at the Coachella music festival as a guest of Palestinian rapper Saint Levant this summer was well-received

JEDDAH: Adham Bayoumi, who goes by the artist name Bayou, is carving out a distinctive space in the music scene. Bayoumi is Egyptian, but was born in Jeddah. While he was still young his family relocated to the UAE, and although he still has family ties in Saudi Arabia — his father currently works in Riyadh — he has few memories of the Kingdom. 

“I don’t have much recollection of my time there,” he tells Arab News. “My connection to Saudi has been purely through music.” He is currently signed to a Saudi label, MDLBEAST Records, and plans to perform in the Kingdom this year. He’s excited to explore his Saudi connections further. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Bayou (@bayousworld)

His association with MDLBEAST began a little over a year ago. “They reached out to me, and it felt like a perfect match,” he says, adding that the partnership has influenced his sound. Bayoumi’s music journey has been an eclectic one, ranging from the UAE to the US, where he attended university, and involving numerous collaborations. “My main producer, Motif Alumni, was in New York but has recently moved to Massachusetts, which impacted our creative workflow,” he says. As his music has evolved, Bayoumi has incorporated more Egyptian and Arabic influences. 

Bayoumi grew up in Dubai, where he absorbed a wide variety of musical influences. “I listened to everything — especially pop hits on Virgin Radio,” he recalls. His mother’s taste in music included artists like Muhammad Munir and Andrea Bocelli. This diversity shaped his own artistic sensibility. Creativity runs in Bayoumi’s family; his mother is an interior designer and his sister a visual artist, but his own artistic path was self-initiated, sparked in elementary school by a teacher’s guitar playing. “I wanted to do that too,” he says, recalling one of his first songs, about the changing of the seasons, written while he was still at school. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Bayou (@bayousworld)

His first major release as Bayou — 2019’s “Moonlight” — quickly gained traction, garnering more than 100,000 streams and solidifying his confidence as an artist. “I realized, ‘Hey! People actually like my music!” he says. That seems a fair assessment; “Moonlight” now has more than 3 million listens on Spotify, and his performance at the influential Coachella music festival as a guest of Palestinian rapper Saint Levant this summer was well-received by both audience and critics. 

He describes his music as “a unique blend of influences,” an international R&B sound that resonates personally.  

“Even when the songs aren’t directly about my life, they often feel like the soundtrack to my experiences,” he says. His upcoming EP, “Never at Home,” is a deep exploration of his Egyptian identity that should resonate with anyone trying to find their place in the world — a concise snapshot of Bayoumi’s quest for identity and belonging through music (which leads him to conclude “Home is where my mom is”). 

Spending four months in Egypt in 2024 allowed him to immerse himself in the culture and complete his EP. “I wanted to really dive into what it means to be Egyptian, especially as someone who didn’t grow up there,” he says. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Bayou (@bayousworld)

His latest singles, “Neshar Belel” and “Mesh Haseebek” have both proven popular with young Arab audiences, blending the rich tapestry of Egyptian musical heritage with contemporary sounds. By infusing traditional rhythms and melodies into modern R&B, Bayoumi honors his cultural identity while creating music with the potential to appeal to a global audience. 

Language has played a crucial role in his artistic journey. Initially, he wrote primarily in English, but his experiences in Egypt prompted a shift.  

“I realized I was very far from my culture and wanted to reconnect with it,” he explains. Writing in Arabic became essential, allowing him to navigate his identity as an Arab more authentically. “I felt like I needed to speak to my culture in the language it deserves,” he says. “It’s about understanding my own character and expressing it through my songs.” The exploration of love in Arabic has been particularly rewarding, he says, allowing him to connect with his heritage on a deeper level. But he also stresses that this doesn’t mean he’s stopped writing English-language songs.  

And Bayoumi’s interests extend beyond music. He has a keen eye for fashion, often choosing outfits that help him express his identity. He’s also passionate about reading, especially philosophy and self-help literature. “I want to understand how to be a good person and navigate life effectively,” he says. Football also remains a significant passion, along with biking. Oh, and watching cartoons. “That brings me back to that state of freedom, my childhood, which is crucial for any artist,” he explains. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Bayou (@bayousworld)

Bayoumi’s goals are ambitious. “It’s incredible to see how people from all backgrounds are drawn to my Arabic music,” he says. “I want to be a pop star worldwide, singing in both English and Arabic. I want to be the bridge between the East and the West.”  


Morocco’s Loft Art Gallery to make its debut at Art Basel Paris

Morocco’s Loft Art Gallery to make its debut at Art Basel Paris
Updated 10 October 2024
Follow

Morocco’s Loft Art Gallery to make its debut at Art Basel Paris

Morocco’s Loft Art Gallery to make its debut at Art Basel Paris

DUBAI: Morocco’s Loft Art Gallery will make its debut at Art Basel Paris from Oct. 18-20, becoming the first Moroccan gallery to take part in the prominent fair.

Yasmine Berrada, co-founder of the gallery, spoke to Arab News ahead of the fair, calling the opportunity a “real milestone.”

Yasmine Berrada is co-founder of the gallery. (Supplied)

She said: “We have been working towards this for years. Since we started, we wanted to exhibit internationally.

“We want to travel with our artists, to collaborate with museums, with institutions, and so on.

Mohamed Melehi, Burri B, 1958, Mixed media on burlap, 80 x 64 cm. (Courtesy of Loft Art Gallery)

“For us, it means reaching a new category of collectors. It also means that the gallery now has a certain standing and level to be considered one of the biggest worldwide,” she added.

The gallery will showcase seven works by renowned Moroccan modernist and Casablanca Art School founder Mohamed Melehi (1936–2020), including three pieces that have never been exhibited before.

Mohamed Melehi, Untitled, 1996, Cellulosique sur bois, 110 x 95 cm. (Courtesy of Loft Art Gallery)

“We are participating with works from the famous artist Melehi, with whom we worked for 12 or 13 years until he passed. For us, it is a celebration of this great collaboration, all the success we achieved with him, and everything we accomplished together as an artist and gallery,” the gallerist said.

Melehi’s radical geometric experiments and his iconic wave motif were pivotal in shaping the aesthetic of post-independence Morocco.

Mohamed Melehi, Untitled, 2012, Mixed media on canvas, 120 x 115 cm. (Courtesy of Loft Art Gallery)

The artist, who was born in the port town of Asilah before he studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Tetouan, spread his wings in New York before returning to Morocco in the 1960s.

The gallery’s presentation of Melehi’s works taps into a growing global fascination with Moroccan art, with notable figures like pop artist Hassan Hajjaj being commissioned by the likes of Vogue US and The Royal Commission for AlUla in Saudi Arabia.

Mohamed Melehi, Untitled, 1960, Mixed media on canvas, 90 x 180 cm. (Courtesy of Loft Art Gallery)

Berrada also highlighted the increasing interest in Moroccan art, saying: “I can see it when we exhibit outside Morocco, like in France or London. People also often say, ‘Oh, we’re coming to Marrakesh next year or next month, and we want to visit your gallery’.”


Athr Gallery takes Saudi artworks to Frieze London fair

Athr Gallery takes Saudi artworks to Frieze London fair
'I Loved You Once - Sound Scape No 2' by Sara Abdu. (Supplied)
Updated 10 October 2024
Follow

Athr Gallery takes Saudi artworks to Frieze London fair

Athr Gallery takes Saudi artworks to Frieze London fair

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Athr Gallery — which has branches in Jeddah, AlUla and Riyadh — is once again displaying the works of several Saudi artists at London’s prestigious Frieze art fair, which began Oct. 9 and runs until Oct. 13. 

This year’s Athr lineup includes works by Nasser Al-Salem, Dana Awartani, Sara Abdu and Ayman Daydban. The exhibition is called “Nafs,” meaning “self” or “psyche” and, according to the gallery, it “challenges existing conventions and fosters dialogue on Islamic artistic identity” and “redefines traditional Islamic art forms to offer a deeper understanding of the self, society and the human ego.” 

Nasser Al-Salem 

The 39-year-old is an architect, calligrapher and artist. For his two works for Frieze — “Math + Metal” (pictured) and “Metal Civilization” — Al-Salem combined all three to create minimalist sculptures that, according to Athr, “redefine Islamic calligraphy by infusing modernity with traditional phrases.” The calligraphy isn’t immediately comprehensible, due to Al-Salem’s conceptual approach to Arabic writing. But that shouldn’t lead you to think Al-Salem does not respect traditional calligraphy. As he explained to Arab News in 2019, he began as a classical calligrapher. It wasn’t until he travelled abroad that he decided he wanted to create work that could “coexist within the realm of contemporary art.” 

He continued: “I was asking myself the question that most calligraphers today ask themselves: How can we evolve from such an ancient and traditional art form?” At Frieze, Al-Salem offers a couple of answers to that question. 

'Math and Metal' by Nasser Al-Salem. (Supplied)

Dana Awartani 

The Saudi-born artist, who is of Palestinian descent, contributes sculptures from her “Platonic Solids Duals” series, created between 2016 and 2018, including this piece, “Dodecahedron Within an Icosahedron II.” The series showcases Awartani’s fascination with sacred geometry, which, she explained to Arab News earlier this year, she sees as a way to “understand the world from a different perspective by seeing harmony in nature and the cosmos through the lens of geometry and numbers.”    

“‘Nafs’ is an idea of self and ego,” Athr curator Daria Kirsanova told The New York Times in an interview last week. “Dana’s cube within a cube shows how you approach the multitudes of your own spirituality.” 

'Dodechahedron Within an Icosahedron II' by Dana Awartani. (Supplied)

Ayman Daydban 

Daydban’s “The Line” is a continuation of the project he conceived for this year’s Desert X AlUla when he created a rock garden in the shape of a full-size soccer field. When he was modifying the piece for a gallery show, he turned it into a series of 15 paintings that depict the markings of a soccer pitch. However, instead of laying it out correctly, he allowed a young boy visiting the gallery with his family to arrange them, which the kid did in a random way. “It shows the ideas that borders don’t appear for … a child,” Daydban told the NYT. “It speaks to the idea that seemingly random people can dictate borders.”  

'The Line' by Ayman Daydban. (Supplied)

Sara Abdu 

The Saudi-born Yemeni artist has, for many years, centered her practice around the theme of memory “and its role in forming identities and constructing our interior and exterior reality,” she told Arab News in 2021. At Frieze, she is presenting a series called “I Loved You Once,” which features works that she created by embroidering human hair on fabric, “promoting introspection and transcendence,” according to Athr Gallery. She chose to work with hair, she told the NYT, because it “symbolizes time or resistance to the idea of the fading of memories and the ending of a life cycle.” 

'I Loved You Once - Sound Scape No 2' by Sara Abdu. (Supplied)