CultureSummit Abu Dhabi 2019 kicks off

ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 08th Apr, 2019) The first day of 'CultureSummit Abu Dhabi 2019', organised by Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has come to an end following a full schedule of packed panel sessions, interactive workshops, and artistic performances. The event is taking place through 11 April at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi.

Over five days, 'CultureSummit Abu Dhabi 2019' will present a dynamic series of panel discussions and interactive workshops under the topics of art, media, heritage, museums, and technology, as well as cultural performances and networking events.

This edition’s theme of ‘Cultural Responsibility & New Technology’ addresses questions of how cultural agents can be more engaged in addressing global challenges, and how creativity and technology may be harnessed for positive change.

To kick off the event, a keynote address was given by Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, saying, "The third edition of CultureSummit Abu Dhabi has gathered a unique group of innovators and policy makers to discuss cultural responsibilities and new technologies, the role of culture in promoting awareness of pressing global matters, and the contribution of the cultural sector to positive change in societies around the world.

The theme of this year’s summit, ‘Cultural Responsibility and New Technology’, summarises the requirements of our current time in harnessing technology, and questions how we, as individuals in the creative and cultural fields, can take responsibility for this surge in technology that we are witnessing in all sectors.

"

The minister continued, "Technology has become an essential tool in the art industry, and I'm not sure how I feel about certain aspects – for example, the artwork that was created by artificial intelligence and auctioned for a great price – but it is time to ponder the relationship between art and the machine.

"Overall, we believe that culture is for everyone, and we appreciate technology for its help in broadening accessibility and in breaking barriers. We are able to achieve previously unthinkable feats; thanks to technology, today we are able to see and analyse details of manuscripts or paintings that we cannot perceive with the naked eye."

Mohamed Khalifa al Mubarak, Chairman, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, welcomed guests and said of the event: "CultureSummit Abu Dhabi has been created for communities to talk, connect, to learn about each other’s problems and try to solve them together. Our job here is to exchange knowledge by questioning everything out loud, and allowing issues and perspectives that might be new to us to manifest. We are delighted to welcome our guests here today, who have flown in from all parts of the world to collaborate and work on what this edition of the CultureSummit aspires to achieve: solutions and change."