Ithra offers a virtual exhibition as a journey through the era of COVID-19
Museums, art galleries and exhibitions were slowed down by the pandemic caused by COVID-19, which is now a year old. The world slowed down, including art, as well as many other forms of culture. Many cultural institutions have reopened their doors to the public with security measures in place, but others have decided to continue on the virtual path that the coronavirus has unleashed.
The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Saudi Arabia, also known as Ithra, recently launched a digital exhibition entitled 'COVID-19 Exhibition' that aims to reflect on this incomparable moment. It will run for two years and is a collection of personal objects belonging to people around the world that symbolise this period.
"Art is about connecting people through culture, but we connect perhaps even more easily through common objects," said Ithra museum director Farah Abushullaih.
The exhibition includes carefully selected pieces, such as everyday items that helped people cope with a time of change, as well as instruments, photographs, notes and works of art.
In this exhibition, we can find a ball of wool and a knitting needle, a jar of natural yeast, which the owner learned to cultivate during confinement, a PlayStation controller. In addition to a box of surgical masks and a boarding pass from London to Jeddah before the ban on travel to and from Saudi Arabia that was implemented to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, among other items.
Hundreds of people applied online to exhibit their objects, from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Australia, the United States, Egypt, Germany, the United Kingdom and more. A total of 270 objects were selected and are now on display.
Despite the online initiative, the Ithra has launched a one-of-a-kind exhibition showcasing more than 100 objects and artefacts of Islamic art and mosque culture. The exhibition 'Shatr Al-Masjid: The Art of Guidance' features 116 items, artworks and motifs from around the world with the aim of "broadening the public's understanding of how the social, religious and cultural functions of mosques have developed over time," according to the Ithra.
It also offers a virtual reality tour of mosques around the world, allowing visitors to experience live scenes from different places of worship, including the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.
Contributions from Arab and international speakers, including researchers, poets, artists, scholars and historians, are also available. It also explores 'the art of guidance' and how mosques used to function as clinics and schools in the past, and presents centuries-old recipes, medical books and writing practice tablets.
The exhibition is considered the first of its kind in the Kingdom in terms of the theme, the method of presentation and the diversity of artefacts related to mosques, according to Ithra.
It aims to "generate a positive and tangible impact on the individual and society through various innovatively designed aspects based on the cultural, artistic and cultural scenes of mosques," Ithra said. It will be open until April 12 at Ithra.
Located in Dhahran in the eastern province, the facility is a multi-purpose cultural centre that was founded by Saudi Aramco. Ithra hosts various events throughout the year, including theatre performances, musicals, film screenings, workshops and cultural events.
