As we round the corner to the finish line for the Cultural Capital documentary, watch the latest tester #2 here, we see signs of technocuddly Dubai everywhere. At I.B.M.’s research labs, this Jeopardy clue befuddled the two human contestants: “Toured the Burj in this U.A.E. city. They say it’s the tallest tower in the world; looked over the ledge and lost my lunch.” But the supercomputer Watson bleeped in, “What is Dubai?” Correct! We could have helped out as the Clue Crew with our Burj video.

Tallest Tower of Mystery: Real Reason Why Burj Khalifa is Closed from Katy Mer-chan

I often ask myself as we’re editing, What is Dubai?! If only Watson could have helped me out.

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Teaser 1 Art Fair Montages:

Teaser 2 Animation & Censorship:
The feature length documentary Cultural Capital: Finding Art in Dubai examines the creative process in urban spaces and the socio-economic realities that challenge the sustainability of Dubai’s boom. The reality of a creative culture, like much of Dubai, is optimistic and still under construction.

He grew up in Dubai. But he’s not from Dubai. He left Dubai. Now, he’s back in Dubai. Lantian Xie’s new installation “I’ll Be Back Someday” opens this Wednesday at The Jam Jar. Xie’s work examines the continual experience of leaving, wandering, returning, and waiting. Wandering and hunger. Waiting and eating. At the end of our path waits a warm bowl of gumbo: a diasporic food dislocated from the bayou … and brought to the desert.

Vanilla Ice did not start a revolution, as some have predicted (see crazy comments) that canceling the show would rouse the people of Dubai into ideological action. But our Internet was suspiciously down for ages (sorry for not posting) and we saw this this new Internet cop with a bomb when we foolishly tried to use Flickr:

We’re not sure if Vanilla Ice’s show was related to the Internet issues, but in Get Loose he raps “I raid the track like a terrorist / And with my napalm bomb lyrics,” so we really appreciate the safety precautions taken by the U.A.E. But the show did go on a few days later. And Vanilla Ice gave the audience everything they wanted: old skool. He even threw in the Ninja Rap from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2…and everyone sang along.

And of course the crowd drunk rapping of Ice Ice Baby:

Rob Van Winkle, you are a professional, and at least you’re marketing yourself. Thank you for coming to Dubai! And stay forever cool as ice.

How was Vanilla Ice when he finally performed? Too cold! As if you had to ask, but full details to come. Turning our attention to more artistic pursuits, what do you get when the Swiss Art Gate goes into a UAE hospital? The Tracking the Emirates art exhibition at the RAK Hospital. The opening is in a few days on April 7th, but we thought to give you a head’s up since Katy’s in the show, and the show is in Ras al Khaimah, “the top of the tent” of the UAE, quite beautiful but a little far out from Dubai.