Creatives from across the kingdom are being called upon to raise awareness about climate change and environmental challenges through art.
The British Council in Bahrain, in partnership with Folk Art Space and supported by the British Embassy and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, launched the Climate Change Arts programme with a ‘Gardens are the Lungs of the Earth’ panel discussion to generate understanding, collaboration and innovation around the issue of climate change amongst young people.
“Art plays an important role in climate change action, as artistic work can create public conversation through visualisation,” said British Council in Bahrain’s country director Richard Rooze.
British Ambassador Roderick Drummond opened the event and the panel discussion included photographer Hussain AlMahroos, Map BH founder Ahmed Al Mutawa and UK-based exhibitions and collections manager, Andy Franzkowiak.
Together, they discussed the importance of utilising arts and culture platforms to navigate environmental challenges and climate change.
“The conversation brought together both the vibrant Bahraini and UK arts scene, allowing for exchange of cultures, as well as understanding on how these countries grapple these environmental challenges through art,” explained Mr Rooze. “I look forward to seeing this important programme develop over the next couple of months.”
Mr AlMahroos, who is also a writer, was commissioned by the British Council to be a part of the programme as the main artist.
During the discussion, he spoke about how photographers can help bring attention to the importance of gardens through their imagery and by sharing it via social media and other platforms.
“Photographers should publish pictures with written words to show the change in gardens and the importance of keeping them alive instead of bulldozing them to transform green spaces into residential areas or neglecting the space all together,” said Mr AlMahroos, highlighting a paper that he published regarding gardens in Bahrain in the 1990s and where they are today.
During the talk, he also introduced the programme while Mr Al Mutawa shared a review of the decline of green areas in Bahrain. Meanwhile, Mr Franzkowiak explored the relationship between people and the environment, as well as how to mend it through art.
Folk Art Space is a visual arts-focused art space that opened in 2019 in Sehla. It aims to encourage dialogue in the art field and give young artists the chance to present their work side-by-side with the great names in the arts. The British Council aims to build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language.
They are open to collaborate further with public and private entities towards supporting their joint initiative. It will feature activities and workshops held throughout February and March.
Details on programme events will be announced in the near future via @folkartspace on Instagram.
mai.alkhatib@gulfweekly.com
&uuid=(email))