In October, the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates will hold a new event. The annual event, which will take place at Manarat Al-Saadiyat from October 23–25, will attract international professionals in the cultural field to the capital of the UAE to examine the theme of this year, “A Living Culture.”
The workshops will cover a variety of subjects, such as “Afghanistan Through a Cultural Lens,” which will talk about how crucial it is to protect cultural heritage in light of the Taliban’s takeover of the nation.
The subject of “Hollywood and the Diversity of Cultural Expression” will also be covered. The lack of representation of women and people of color, as well as the effects of new digital and production platforms like Netflix on diversity, have been past complaints of the business.
The show will feature a segment called “Creative Conversations” hosted by seasoned curator and broadcaster Tim Marlow, who also serves as the director of the Design Museum in London. Guests will include Ai-Da the robot, the first humanoid artist in history.
Dr. Jos Boys, co-founder of The DisOrdinary Architecture Project, who works with disabled artists to explore innovative access and inclusion strategies, will also be a guest on this programme. The discussion will concentrate on the ways in which difference and disability inspire creativity.
Film showings and artistic performances by people like choreographer Kader Attou and many more will be featured at the summit.
Amin Taha, a London-based architect whose stone façade design for the 15 Clerkenwell Close building sparked a controversy with the local authorities, who demanded that it be demolished, is one of the keynote speakers. Other speakers include renowned architect Frank Gehry. Taha successfully overturned that choice, preserving the prestigious structure.
Speaking at the summit will be Noura Al-Kaabi, the UAE’s Minister of Culture and Youth, Ivo Josipovi, a former president of Croatia, and Ernesto Ottone, the UNESCO’s associate director general for culture.