Exceptional cultural experiences presented by the 11th edition of the Sikka Art and Design Festival, which is held in the Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood, through which it celebrates the entertainment, musical rhythms and masterpieces of cinema presented by the festival within an inspiring creative atmosphere, revealing through it the diversity and richness of the local art scene, giving talents It is an innovative platform that enables them to develop and hone their skills and present their creativity to the public, in order to fulfill the commitments of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority “Dubai Culture” aimed at supporting and strengthening the cultural and creative industries in the emirate.
For the first time, the 2023 edition of the festival, which will continue until March 5, presents its initiative, “Siktah Speaks,” through which it opens the eyes of artists, creative talents, and visitors to the future of the sector and its global trends. The initiative program includes eight dialogue sessions that host a group of artists and art and architecture experts. Among them is Firas Safi El-Din, Chief Architect at Gamium.World, who will present a session on “How the Spatial Internet is Redefining Identity and Architecture”, while director Nahla Al-Fahd, Tony Al-Masih, Managing Director of Majid Al-Futtaim Cinemas, and media personality Abdullah Al-Kaabi present their visions of independent cinema. In a session moderated by Vikas Panjabi, Professor of Architecture Dr. George Kashami, Director of the Center for Research, Innovation and Design at the American University in Dubai, sheds light on “The Impact of Technology on Architecture and Design.”
Various workshops
Visitors to the festival will have a date with more than 100 diverse workshops, supervised by a group of artists such as Abdullah Lutfi, Asmaa Bakr, Al-Anoud Abdullah, Mahra Al-Mulla and Lina Younis, and it is organized by a group of cultural and artistic centers in Dubai, including the «Sheikh Mohammed Center Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for Civilization Communication”, “Department of Architectural Heritage and Antiquities – Dubai Municipality”, “Tashkeel Center” and “Project U”, where the workshops aim to develop and refine the skills of visitors, discover talents, and introduce them to the techniques of sculpting and forming gypsum, and the arts of photography using Nikon cameras, jewelry design methods, ceramics and pottery making, in addition to other workshops to teach traditional drawing techniques and introduce virtual reality art.
Student masterpieces
Sekka, which falls under the umbrella of the Dubai Art Season, lights up its screens with a group of short and feature films that express the visions of the makers of the seventh art, offering its audience 10 days filled with cinematic performances, including the musical (Sing 2) directed by Garth Jennings and Christophe Lourdelet. And the animation movie (WALL E) directed by Andrew Stanton, and the sports drama film (Secretariat) directed by Randall Wallace, in addition to a group of short works that reflect the creativity of university students, such as the movie “Labyrinth” by Latifa Al Hosani from Zayed University, and the movie “To Eat Bread” by director Muhammad Rabie from the Warsaw Film School – Poland, and “The Last Tones” by director Doaa Salah Farid from the Kamal Adham Center at the American University in Cairo, among others. Sekka also provides its audience with a special overview of the “Masterpieces” initiative launched by the Ministry of Education with the aim of introducing students On masterpieces of art, cinema, theater and poetry.
In front of more than 80 performers, the festival opens the alleys of the “Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood”, giving them a wide space to express their creativity and talents in music, poetry, comedy and entertainment. In this context, “Sekka Art and Design” nights host a group of musicians to present different types of music.
