During his extensive visits to different natural habitats around the UAE in the summer of 2022, Zheng Bo was captivated by the umbrella thorn acacia tree, known locally as Samur. For his Artist’s Garden commission at Jameel Arts Centre, Bo choreographed a dance with two human dancers and a Samur tree in the Mleiha desert as a way to understand and reconnect with the land and the tree. The dance pays homage to the tree’s strength and tenacity – the vibrancy of its branches, the delicacy of its leaves, and the defiance of its thorns. The performance is presented at Jameel Arts Centre as a film installation set within a landscape of indigenous plants that thrive in the desert.

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