Culture Bites: Was adidas right to axe Bella Hadid from its SL72 campaign?



In this week's episode of Culture Bites, hosts Farah Andrews and Maan Jalal highlight some of their top picks from this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards nominations. With Shogun and The Bear leading the race, the hype has officially begun ahead of the awards ceremony taking place on September 15.

To mark the death of Iranian contemporary artist Farhad Moshiri, Maan and Farah pay tribute to the creative often described as the Middle East's Andy Warhol. They reflect on his artistic philosophy of “looking for the undiscovered” and on his pop art-inspired style. Moshiri, who was represented by Third Line Gallery in Dubai, died aged 61.

The hosts also discuss the controversy surrounding adidas axing Bella Hadid from a recent SL72 trainers campaign. The shoes were created to pay tribute to the 1972 Munich Olympics. Adidas dropped Hadid after receiving public backlash for featuring a half-Palestinian model in a campaign linked to the Olympic Games, in which 11 Israeli athletes and a coach were killed by a Palestinian militant group. The hosts question the role that brands are expected to play in the face of mounting political pressure.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
How it works

Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.

Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.

As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.

A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.

Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.

Updated: July 25, 2024, 12:02 PM

The Arts Edit

A guide to arts and culture, from a Middle Eastern perspective

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