Project Manager of Sikka Art & Design Festival

WORDS: SARAH JOSEPH

An Artistic Vision

Noor Khalfan AlRoumi, Project Manager for the Sikka Art & Design Festival 2022, on contributing to Dubai’s burgeoning art scene

IMAGE: SUPPLIED A s an annual celebration of creativity in Dubai, the 10th edition of Sikka Art & Design Festival was held at the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood to champion several UAE based artists. As part of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, the theme ‘Celebrating Art, Celebrating Growth’ was a key focus.

What do the first 30 minutes of your day look like, your morning routine? I always start my day with gratitude and by taking a few minutes to be mindful through meditation. I then enjoy having a large cup of coffee before heading to work. How has your career to date helped you in the role you have now? I worked in different fields before joining the creative sector. Having a skillful background with an eagle eye view always came in handy when dealing with different types of people, from many nationalities in the country and abroad. When moving into projects over the past couple of years, my background has prepared me to deal with almost everything with an open mindset and a growing wide knowledge. I didn’t face any challenges as I am a person who learns as I go, and I have kept my passion for different topics, which is essential when working on several projects. What is the key focus of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, and has this evolved since the outset? Dubai Culture’s key strategy is to maintain Dubai’s rich heritage, nurture creative talent and support cultural diversity toward transforming the emirate into the world’s creative economic capital. Since its establishment in 2008, Dubai Culture has continuously ensured that culture and heritage are made accessible to everyone, and over the years, it has taken up the role of a cultural custodian, promoting the creative economy and consolidating Dubai’s position in the global art space. This year was the 10th edition of Sikka Arts Festival; tell us more about the theme ’Celebrating Art, Celebrating Growth’. Sikka Art & Design Festival is an initiative by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) and a pillar event of Dubai Art Season taking place annually in February and March, both of which are held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Member of the Dubai Council. Sikka is the first annual initiative of its kind, focusing on supporting and showcasing the works of Emirati, UAE & GCC-based artists and aligning with Dubai Culture’s mission to encourage participation and make art and culture accessible to everyone and everywhere. The festival aims to support emerging lo-

“The artworks featured this year were chosen to create a compelling narrative about the festival’s journey over the past decade.”

cal talents from Emiratis and residents in the country and the region, inspire them to progress in creativity, and help them grow and thrive professionally.

This contributes to stimulating the creative industries in the emirate, leading to the achievement of Dubai Culture’s vision of cementing the emirate’s position as a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent as well as the global capital of the creative economy. The festival’s 10th edition celebrated the achievements of the past nine editions by selecting artworks that formed an interesting narrative of the festival’s story. This year’s edition exemplified the growing vibrance of Dubai’s art scene that has emerged as a force to be reckoned with on the global cultural map. The city’s arts sector has seen new creative energy driven by intense investment and support for cultural development in the emirate. Guided by the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the city has transformed itself into a global art and cultural destination. As part of its new direction, the Sikka Art and Design Festival fostered an integrated ecosystem that supports emerging creatives and provides a platform for them to embark on their journey to become professional artists through several initiatives, which also include the pillar of the Sikka Art & Design Festival, among others. The artworks featured this year were chosen to create a compelling narrative about the festival’s journey over the past decade. With NFTs gaining newfound traction, how did that impact this year’s exhibition? The festival hosted a number of workshops on new media, covering topics such as augmented reality in art, virtual designs within virtual reality, and NFTs, including unique artistic experiences that allowed visitors to experience an immersive technological journey by designing their own virtual environments, experiment with artworks in different phases, install interactive spaces, and explore the metaverse world. Sikka 2022 also featured the launch of the Metaverse Biennale 2022 in House 28, which aims to integrate NFT and blockchain technology to become closer to the art community around the world. This exhibition was designed to be one of the largest virtual art exhibitions, spread over 101 halls connected with teleportation portals, instantly and seamlessly allowing visitors to move from one hall to another. The addition of the new media elements including NFTs, VR and metaverse helped gain more traction for Sikka Art & Design Festival as this is the first time Sikka included design and new media elements. Visitors to Sikka enjoyed the various new media installations that were showcased across the festival, and we are proud to have seen such results. Recently, Dubai Culture also collaborated with MORROW collective, the UAE’s leading NFT curatorial initiative, to host an NFT exhibition celebrating the UAE. The exhibition, titled 50/50, comprised 50 NFTs made by UAE-based artists, including Emirati artists Khalid Al Banna, Alia AlGaoud, and Dalal Ahmed, to mark the UAE’s 50th anniversary. This is The Finer Things Issue – how have you implemented a detailed approach in your daily life? It’s the small details that constitute the elements of the greater picture. Having great taste is definitely key to enjoying the finer things in life while having a focused mindset, a curious spirit, passion and a hunger for inspiration keeps me motivated to be focused and alert as I pay attention to the details around me.