One of the capital's most iconic structures and a cultural hub for the Emirate's citizens and residents is being brought back to life at this year's Qasr Al Hosn Festival held in Abu Dhabi city from 11th to 21st February.
A symbol of Abu Dhabi's modern heritage, the Cultural Foundation Building is engraved in the memory of Abu Dhabi residents.
As part of the Festival programme, areas of the Cultural Foundation will be re-opened to the public and will be brought back to life through a number of curated interactive activities and performances introduced to engage visitor participation in a mass recollection of memories exercise. Visitors will also get the opportunity to learn more about the current conservation status of this widely popular landmark.
The Cultural Foundation Building will welcome visitors to take experiential self-guided tours. Installations throughout the building will draw on people's senses; sight, sound, and movement, to revive and celebrate the memory of this treasured landmark and raise awareness on the importance of conserving Abu Dhabi's modern heritage.
Resuming its historic role as a platform for culture and arts, the Cultural Foundation will also be home to a series of performances in its open air amphitheatre, as well as a number of arts and crafts workshops.
It will host an exhibition that recreates the collective memory of this space in a contemporary cultural experience. In the Cultural Foundation Building, visitors will go on a journey through the past, present and future of Emirati modern heritage. Besides its importance as an architectural landmark that combines modern and Islamic styles, the exhibition will highlight the vital role that the Cultural Foundation has played in the development of Abu Dhabi's cultural scene.
The Cultural Foundation will also be home to the ‘Lest We Forget: Structures of Memory in the United Arab Emirates' in its homecoming from la Biennale di Venezia where it featured at the International Architecture Exhibition in the National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates. This exhibition, commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, showcases the findings of a larger initiative, ‘Lest We Forget', that seeks to archive the history of architectural and urban development in the UAE over the past century, and is one of the pioneering programmes dedicated to the definition and conservation of Emirati modern heritage.
This year, the festival has teamed up with a number of community institutions that will showcase their initiative to promote the culture of the UAE. Community partners include the National Archives, the National Library and twofour54.
Source: WAM