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.



Prada and Axiom Space Shoot for the Moon with New Spacesuit

Prada and Axiom Space present the spacesuit (Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit) designed and developed for the Artemis III lunar mission, in Milan, Italy, October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Prada and Axiom Space present the spacesuit (Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit) designed and developed for the Artemis III lunar mission, in Milan, Italy, October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Claudia Greco
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Prada and Axiom Space Shoot for the Moon with New Spacesuit

Prada and Axiom Space present the spacesuit (Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit) designed and developed for the Artemis III lunar mission, in Milan, Italy, October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Prada and Axiom Space present the spacesuit (Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit) designed and developed for the Artemis III lunar mission, in Milan, Italy, October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Claudia Greco

Italian luxury group Prada and Houston-based startup Axiom Space unveiled on Wednesday the design of a spacesuit that will be used for NASA's Artemis 3 mission to the moon.

Artemis 3, planned as the first astronaut moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972, is currently scheduled for 2026.

The new Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), showcased at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, aims to combine highly engineered functionality and aesthetics to deal with challenging lunar conditions, Reuters reported.

The spacesuits were made to withstand extreme temperatures at the lunar south pole and endure the coldest temperatures in the permanently shadowed regions for at least two hours, the two companies said in a joint statement.

Astronauts will be able to perform spacewalks for at least eight hours.

The AxEMU has already undergone extensive testing, included underwater to simulate the lunar environment. It is nearing the final development stage, the two companies said.

"I'm very proud of the result we're showing today, which is just the first step in a long-term collaboration with Axiom Space," Prada's Chief Marketing Officer Lorenzo Bertelli said in a statement.

As the space exploration and tourism industries develop, luxury brands are exploring possible partnerships.

Last month French fashion house Pierre Cardin unveiled an astronaut training suit, set to be used at the European Space Agency's center in Cologne.

Hotel group Hilton is working with Voyager Space to support the design and development of crew suites aboard planned commercial space station Starlab.