Saudi Arabia: International Video Art Forum Receives 67 Artistic Works from 27 Countries

Registration will remain open until November 5, with the forum scheduled for December. SPA
Registration will remain open until November 5, with the forum scheduled for December. SPA
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Saudi Arabia: International Video Art Forum Receives 67 Artistic Works from 27 Countries

Registration will remain open until November 5, with the forum scheduled for December. SPA
Registration will remain open until November 5, with the forum scheduled for December. SPA

The Organizing Committee of the International Video Art Forum announced on Wednesday that it has received 67 artworks from 27 countries for its sixth edition. Registration will remain open until November 5, with the forum scheduled for December.

The forum, organized by the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts in Dammam in partnership with the Cinema Association, has received submissions from countries including Ethiopia, Australia, Argentina, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Germany, the United Kingdom, India, the United States, Japan, Greece, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Ireland, Poland, Peru, Slovenia, France, Palestine, Croatia, Canada, Lebanon, Egypt, and the Netherlands.

The forum's General Supervisor and Director of the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts in Dammam, Yousif Al-Harbi, elaborated that this year's slogan, "Imagination Embodied, Reality Transformed," reflects the transformation of imaginative ideas into tangible works of art. He emphasized that these works can impact our reality and demonstrate the power of art in bridging the gap between imagination and reality.

Al-Harbi noted that the forum has successfully showcased contemporary visual art experiences using advanced technologies in its previous five sessions, attracting over 823 artworks from more than 70 countries and offering 31 specialized seminars and workshops. It is recognized as the first international gathering for artists in the Gulf region. Each edition features an artistic theme and showcases a wide range of artistic talent, as video art is a technology-based medium that looks toward the future.

The forum and the Cinema Association plan to provide more details about this session and its activities, including a workshop at Khobar's Cinema Association headquarters. The workshop aims to create a visual cultural movement that supports and develops creative human capital by encouraging talents and artists, a commitment the forum is dedicated to maintaining.



SpaceX's Starship to Deploy Mock Satellites in Next Test

SpaceX logo and Elon Musk photo are seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
SpaceX logo and Elon Musk photo are seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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SpaceX's Starship to Deploy Mock Satellites in Next Test

SpaceX logo and Elon Musk photo are seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
SpaceX logo and Elon Musk photo are seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Elon Musk's SpaceX said upcoming Starship test flight would include the rocket's first attempt to deploy payloads in space by releasing 10 model Starlink satellites, a key demonstration for Starship's potential in the satellite launch market.

"While in space, Starship will deploy 10 Starlink simulators, similar in size and weight to next-generation Starlink satellites as the first exercise of a satellite deploy mission," SpaceX said in a blog post on its website, Reuters reported.

The Starship flight from SpaceX's sprawling Boca Chica, Texas facilities, tentatively planned for later this month, will mark the seventh demonstration in a test-to-failure style of rocket development where the company tests new upgrades with each flight.

In October, Starship's "Super Heavy" first stage booster returned to its launch pad's giant mechanical arms for the first time, a milestone for its fully reusable design.

The rocket's sixth test flight in November, attended by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, achieved similar mission objectives - besides the landing of Super Heavy, which was forced to target a water landing on the Gulf of Mexico because of a launchpad problem.

Starship is the centerpiece of SpaceX's future satellite launch business - an area it currently dominates with its partially reusable Falcon 9 - as well as Musk's dreams to colonize Mars.

The rocket's power, stronger than the Saturn V rocket that sent Apollo astronauts to the moon in the last century, is key for launching huge batches of satellites into low-Earth orbit and is expected to rapidly expand the company's Starlink satellite internet network.

SpaceX is under contract with NASA to land U.S. astronauts on the moon later this decade using Starship.

Musk, SpaceX's founder and CEO, has become a close ally of Trump who has made getting to Mars a more prominent goal for the incoming administration.