Latest news with #Jopp
Al Etihad
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Al Etihad
How UAE residents grow pockets of green in unexpected urban spaces
26 June 2025 23:08 MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)In the alleyways behind shops, along the fringes of industrial zones, and beneath the drip of air-conditioning units, small gardens are quietly flourishing across cities in the UAE. Polish photographer Anna Jopp has turned her lens toward these unassuming patches of greenery, often improvised and tended by hands rarely seen. Her latest work, 'On Gardening,' now on display at the 'Cartographies, Revised' exhibition at Manarat Al Saadiyat, is a visual study of how plants survive and thrive in urban spaces across the Emirates. 'It started with the obvious; the decorative green areas planted along streets. But, very quickly, I became fascinated by what was growing in unexpected places,' Jopp shared with Aletihad in a recent interview. From a few potted flowers placed outside a corner shop to makeshift vegetable gardens tucked between warehouses, Jopp's images document the subtle human impulse to nurture nature.'I wanted to look at how people express a love for gardening out in the open in public, informal, and often unnoticed ways,' she explained. That might mean a cluster of planters on a busy sidewalk, or vines trained up the side of a residential building. In industrial areas, Jopp found fruit trees and vegetables growing in plots tended by workers. In some cases, irrigation systems were ingeniously improvised such as plants positioned to catch water dripping from AC pipes.'What I learned is that even in a very big city, people very often want to be connected to nature, and it can be done for them in the form of parks or little squares with trees,' Jopp noted.'But I found that people have this universal need to take care of something - in this case, plants. People want to be working with their hands, cultivating plants, and taking care of the green areas around them. It's one of the ways you can create a sense of home wherever you are.'The 'On Gardening' series is part of the Photography Studio's four-month residency programme in Abu Dhabi, which hosted seven emerging artists. Jopp says the mentorship she received helped her go beyond aesthetics and think critically about the message behind her work.'At first, I wanted to photograph every plant I saw,' she said. 'But through the fellowship, I began to focus on what story am I trying to tell? What does this add to my larger body of work? How am I growing as an artist?'Now, as she prepares to move to Fujairah, Jopp is already thinking about her next project within the emirate's rich farming heritage and proximity to the mountains.'I want to understand the landscape better; the people, the plants, how gardening happens in that part of the country,' she said. 'And also, how climate change and rising temperatures are changing the way people grow things and care for nature.' 'Cartographies, Revised' runs daily at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, from 10am to 8pm until September 1.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rail delays harm pupil attendance records, MP says
Pupils are being recorded as late to school due to consistent railway delays in Surrey, according to an MP. Lincoln Jopp told the House of Commons that schoolchildren in his Spelthorne constituency who used South Western Railway to get to school are recorded as late on attendance registers that "follow them throughout life". The 07:58 BST service from Sunbury to Shepperton – used by "a lot" of pupils – was recently cancelled four times in six days, the Conservative MP said. South Western Railway apologised for any disruption experienced. Jopp asked Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander if the government would "commit to improving the reliability and punctuality of that section of the line" when it nationalises South Western Railway on 25 May. The cabinet minister responded that the government was "determined to turn this situation around" when it takes over from current operators First Group and MTR. She said: "We have inherited an abject mess from the train operating company, who over six years have failed to get the new fleet of Arterio 701 trains into service." South Western Railway began operating the first of its new Class 701 trains in January. The rail operator – which runs services between London Waterloo and Hampshire, Surrey, Wiltshire, Dorset, Berkshire and Devon – said its rollout of the Arterio fleet in April was taking "longer than expected". It ordered 90 trains costing £1bn in 2017, which were originally due in service from 2019. "Many of the 98 stations the Arterio will serve were built more than 150 years ago, and we have a challenge interfacing the train to some of our older platforms, given their design," a spokesperson said. "While the further delay has been frustrating, we now have a way forward that will see increasing numbers of customers enjoying increased capacity and comfort of the Arterio through the rest of 2025 and beyond." Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. What difference will rail nationalisation make? Rail fares to rise despite renationalisation plans Long-delayed £1bn train fleet to launch South Western Railway
