Epilogue Abu Dhabi as a planned city, is only decades old, and the majority of its inhabitants are from overseas. Every expat lives in a temporary state, dependent on a work visa, so it’s difficult to put down real roots. All live with the reality of leaving one day. Nevertheless, close communities are evident on the streets. There is a rhythm to the movement of people; the box collector on his bike, the deliverymen, the bakers taking it in turns over the oven, and the call to prayer which brings everyone out to pray on the street or in the mosque. This is clear as I sit and draw each day. It is illegal to photograph or video without explicit consent, so recording in a sketchbook is the only way to collect information like this. Although I’m a curiosity at first, drawing allows me to become part of the event. It cuts through any social awkwardness or polite restraint on the part of others, and gives implicit permission for anyone to approach if they want to. It seems less invasive than a camera. A photograph is ‘taken,’ but the verb ‘to draw’ implies a conversation, a ‘drawing in’ of the subject, and this is what happens usually. As I’m drawing, I notice that change is constant, not just of buildings, but with the transient population too, and even in the few short months of this project, buildings disappear and change use, affecting the way people interact with their place. I sought these neighbourhoods to document the everyday life of working areas of the city and have realised, as this project has developed, that the focus has shifted. The act of drawing itself has been transformative, building real connections between myself and the subject, and I have claimed my place here, in the same way that everyone else has, through engagement and co-operative experience. I am happy to now call Abu Dhabi ‘home’.
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