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Misk Announces Annual Creative Forum 2024

Misk Announces Annual Creative Forum 2024
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Misk Announces Annual Creative Forum 2024

Misk Announces Annual Creative Forum 2024

Saudi Arabia’s Misk Art Institute, an affiliate of the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation (Misk), announced its annual Creative Forum 2024, which will take place at Mohammed bin Salman Nonprofit City (Misk City) on November 1 and 2.

Now in its fifth edition, the forum will feature panel discussions, interactive activities, and performances. Since its launch in 2020, the Creative Forum has become a key event during Misk Art Week, the Misk Art Institute's flagship initiative, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Saturday.

CEO of the Misk Art Institute Reem Al Sultan said: "Hosting the Creative Forum at Misk City marks our first step toward moving into the Misk Art Institute building in Mohammed bin Salman Nonprofit City in 2025. We will also unveil expanded programs and activities aimed at fostering the growth of the cultural and arts sector in the Kingdom and supporting artists."

This year's forum, themed "Media and Technology," will gather thought leaders and experts from around the world at Misk City's Experience Center, a space dedicated to nurturing creativity and engaging youth. Discussions will focus on how media and technology can create new opportunities for artists and society, exploring the role of media in promoting interactive participation and the ways technology has revolutionized exploration and interaction.

In alignment with this theme, the Misk Art Institute will present the exhibition “The Silent Age of Singularity”, running from November 3, 2024, to February 27, 2025. The exhibition will examine the post-internet era, marked by technology's pervasive influence on society.

Curated by the Director of the Curatorial Department and Chief Curator at the Misk Art Institute Basma Al-Shathry, with assistance from Assistant Curator Aram Al-Ajaji, the exhibition will be held at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Arts Hall. It aims to highlight how the Internet has impacted daily life, showcasing transformations brought about by satellites, television, and the Internet in global connectivity, cultural exchange, and information dissemination.

Al-Shathry noted: "The Internet has evolved from simply a communication tool to an essential part of our daily lives. Our exhibition examines the changes that have transformed the ways we communicate, create, and understand the world."

Participating artists in the exhibition include Ibrahim Abumsmar (Saudi Arabia), Mahdi Al Jeraibi (Saudi Arabia), Turki Al-Qahtani (Saudi Arabia), Omar Al-Zahrani (Saudi Arabia), Mohammed Sharrouro (Morocco), Ayman Yasser Didban (Palestine/Saudi Arabia), Iman Al-Jabreen (Saudi Arabia), Mounir Fatmi (Morocco), Samia Halabi (Palestine), David Hockney (United Kingdom), Sofiane El Idrissi (Morocco), Ziad Kaaki (Saudi Arabia), Khaled Makhshoush (Saudi Arabia), Ahmed Matar (Saudi Arabia), Bennett Miller (United States), Nam June Paik (South Korea), John Salvest (United States), Faisal Samra (Saudi Arabia), and Anya Soliman (Egypt/Poland).

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Tourists Toss Coins over a Makeshift Pool as Rome’s Trevi Fountain Undergoes Maintenance

A small pool is seen in front of the Trevi Fountain to allow tourists to throw their coins in it, as the fountain has been emptied to undergo maintenance work that will last until around September 2025, in Rome, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP)
A small pool is seen in front of the Trevi Fountain to allow tourists to throw their coins in it, as the fountain has been emptied to undergo maintenance work that will last until around September 2025, in Rome, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP)
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Tourists Toss Coins over a Makeshift Pool as Rome’s Trevi Fountain Undergoes Maintenance

A small pool is seen in front of the Trevi Fountain to allow tourists to throw their coins in it, as the fountain has been emptied to undergo maintenance work that will last until around September 2025, in Rome, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP)
A small pool is seen in front of the Trevi Fountain to allow tourists to throw their coins in it, as the fountain has been emptied to undergo maintenance work that will last until around September 2025, in Rome, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP)

Tourists eager to return to the Eternal City are being forced to toss coins over a plastic barrier and into a small makeshift pool in front of Rome’s Trevi Fountain while the attraction is being drained for maintenance.

The rectangular box, unadorned and showing its plywood finish, has elicited mixed reactions. “I think it is a very sweet gesture that people can still do that," said Marianna Strekstadt, visiting from the Netherlands on Friday. A cashless traveler, she was taking a pass.

Others, like Daniela Carbone, found the substitute pool “ugly.” Yet, she gave her kids some coins to throw in anyway. “We have to please the children,” she said.

City lore has it that tossing a coin into the Baroque fountain will ensure a return trip to Rome. This tradition generates an estimated 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) annually, which has been donated to the Catholic charity Caritas for the past 15 years.

To manage the overwhelming number of tourists visiting the fountain, Rome City officials are devising a plan to block off the area around the fountain. Visitors will be required to book online and then pay a fee of 2 euros ($2.20) to get in. Once inside, they will have 30 minutes to enjoy the fountain.