Arab Forum For Cultural Heritage 2021
"Rethinking the Future of Islamic Arts and Heritage"
Islamic art spans some fourteen centuries, covering many geographies and varied cultures of Islamic societies. It encompasses rich artistic legacies ranging from architecture to calligraphy and from paintings to textiles. Islamic art has been developed throughout history from various sources, and in turn it influenced many others. Despite increased scholarly attention, there are many questions about the Islamic art and heritage and its position within the wider human context.
The forum will celebrate the International Day of Islamic Art on the 18th of November, proclaimed by UNESCO in 2019 with an aim to raise awareness of Islamic arts and their contribution to the world civilizations. Since its proclamation, the International Day of Islamic Art has inspired various scholarly activities and communal events.
The Forum Structure
The Forum will be hybrid, employing online-digital and physical sessions. Online sessions will be open to local and international attendees, consisting of academics, researchers, practitioners, intellectuals, and students.
The Forum will be held over two days. There will be two panel presentations/discussions each day, with 30 minutes break between the two sessions.
Each panel will be comprised of 2-3 panellists and a moderator. The time allocated for each speaker/presentation is 20 minutes, followed by 15 minutes Q&A session.
Conference Languages:
English, Arabic
Target Audience
The Forum is aimed at all intellectuals with an interest in Islamic arts and heritage. These include, but not limited to:
- International and regional academics and researchers
- Heritage officials/professionals in the region and beyond
- Professionals from museums and art galleries in the region and beyond
- Cultural Heritage NGOs in the region and beyond
- Media professional and journalists
- Art and heritage elites (architects, archaeologists, conservators, curators, artists, etc.)
Objectives & Outcomes
The main goals and objectives of the Forum:
This Forum aims to provide a venue for multi-disciplinary discussions on Islamic artistic and architectural legacies in the present and future. The Forum will bring together prominent speakers, consisting of academics and practitioners, to explore the role of Islamic artistic legacy in bridging times and geographies, converging cultures, and promoting inter-cultural dialogue.
Participants in the Forum will present various case studies from various Islamic contexts, highlighting how Islamic arts evolved to define various cultures and how these cultural legacies define the present and future. Theoretical and practical perspectives will include exploration of the diverse nature of Islamic arts and heritage with highlights on inter-disciplinary boundaries. Additionally, the Forum will explore case studies on the preservation and presentation of Islamic heritage.
The Forum specifically aims to:
1- Initiate inter-disciplinary conversations on the notion and shaping of various Islamic artistic and architectural legacies
2- Explore the bridging, dialogue-promoting, and unifying role of Islamic arts and heritage in inter-ethnic and inter-religious contexts.
3- Investigate the presentation of Islamic arts in exhibitions and museums and the role of museums in building communal awareness in Islamic artistic legacies.
Expected Outcomes
The intended outcome of the Forum is the establishment of a solid foundation for an interdisciplinary dialogue and discussion on the Islamic arts and heritage. The outcomes will specifically include:
- Contribution to the scholarly field of Islamic arts and heritage through the publication and dissemination of the Forum proceedings.
- Recommendations to follow-up the Forum objectives.
The main results and summaries will be posted on ICCROM-Sharjah and SIFHAMS-UoS websites and a specific web-page for the Forum.
