Overview
Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF) is pleased to announce the reopening of The Flying Saucer this Saturday, 26 September 2020. The newly renovated Brutalist structure, which was constructed in the mid-1970s and modified over the decades to house various businesses, has been restored to its original architectural character, and new contemporary spaces have been introduced. that will serve as a place for community gathering. Visitors will be able to enjoy outdoor exhibition spaces and a lower-level community area, including a café and library, as well as the building’s futuristic architecture which draws on the space-age influence of 1960s and 1970s Western literature and popular culture. A new site-specific multimedia installation, Lindsay Seers and Keith Sargent: Nowhere Less Now3 [flying saucer], will mark the opening of the venue.
The Flying Saucer will house the first public art library in Sharjah. Open for all, it includes Foundation publications, artist books and catalogues as well as reference materials that target curious readers of all ages, researchers and art history enthusiasts. Along the library wall are a number of long tables that double up as workspaces where visitors can read and enjoy the library offerings. Publications are available in Arabic, English and other regional languages. The library will be constantly updated with the latest Foundation publications, monographs and materials.
Audiences can join a number of workshops, film screenings and events over the coming months. The workshops, designed for children aged 6 to 15 and their parents, focus on photography, image-making, drawing and calligraphy. Part of the Autumn 2020 Learning Programmes, they aim to inspire creativity and develop artistic skills. Below is a detailed schedule of the programme taking place at The Flying Saucer.
Lindsay Seers and Keith Sargent: Nowhere Less Now3 [flying saucer]
26 September–26 December 2020
Nowhere Less Now3 [flying saucer], the new immersive, multimedia installation by Lindsay Seers and Keith Sargent that responds to the architecture of the newly renovated Flying Saucer, is the third iteration of the episodic work ‘Nowhere Less Now’, which addresses the dark legacy of British colonialism and Seers’ journey through history in search of (the) truth. ‘Nowhere Less Now’ has been commissioned and produced by Artangel, London; Sharjah Art Foundation; and the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), Hobart, Tasmania.
Visitors can book their visit through this link. Read more about the exhibition here.
Workshop and Film Schedule
Saturday, 26 September 2020
Workshop: Green Screen
Time: 11:00 am–1:00 pm
Languages: Arabic and English
Photos will be taken of the participants in front of a green screen, and then participants will digitally add backgrounds and illustrations to their photo. They will learn basic graphic and digital techniques and work with the imaging and graphic design software programs Photoshop and Illustrator.
Tuesday, 29 September 2020
Workshop: Introduction to Calligraphy
Time: 5:00 pm–7:00 pm
Languages: Arabic and English
In this workshop, participants will be introduced to calligraphy. They will learn about and practice basic Arabic calligraphic scripts. After their practice, participants will write words that inspired them while they were outdoors during the workshop.
Friday, 2 October 2020
Film screening: Metropolis (1927)
Time: 8:30 pm–11:30 pm
Director: Fritz Lang
Sci-Fi | 153 minutes
Suitable for all ages
Silent film with Arabic and English subtitles
Sharjah Art Foundation will screen the classic sci-fi film Metropolis (1927). Set in the future, this black and white film presents a highly stylised futuristic city where a beautiful and cultured utopia exists above an isolated underworld populated by oppressed workers.
Saturday, 3 October 2020
Workshop: Shutter Speed Photography
Time: 11:00 am–1:00 pm
Languages: Arabic and English
In this workshop, participants will be introduced to the shutter speed in photography in order to learn about exposure light and time. Later, they will practice taking different photos using various shutter speed settings.
Tuesday, 6 October 2020
Workshop: Tile Art
Time: 5:00 pm–7:00 pm
Languages: Arabic and English
In this workshop, participants will colour directly onto ceramic tiles, creating different colour combinations and designs. Once the tiles are fully painted, participants will add small drops of rubbing alcohol to the surface to reveal an abstract and clouded image.
Saturday, 10 October 2020
Workshop: Photographic Portraits
Time: 11:00 am–1:00 pm
Languages: Arabic and English
In this photography workshop, the focus will be on portraits. Participants will first be introduced to the basics of camera settings and photo composition techniques. Then they will experiment with taking different types of shots. At the end of the workshop, each participant will have one portrait selected and printed.
Tuesday, 13 October 2020
Workshop: Complete the Drawing
Time: 5:00 pm–7:00 pm
Languages: Arabic and English
This workshop will start with each participant creating a drawing and passing it on to another participant, who will then incorporate his/her own drawing ideas into the drawing already done. This technique helps develop creative thinking and will result in different drawing processes being merged. This workshop offers a fun approach to drawing, but more importantly, it encourages participants to work together constructively.
Saturday, 17 October 2020
Workshop: Photography Scavenger Hunt
Time: 11:00 am–1:00 pm
Languages: Arabic and English
Inspired by the work of artist Amal Kenawy, this workshop will introduce participants to the practice of documenting their ideas and experiences in a scrapbook. As part of the workshop, participants will join a scavenger hunt for which they will be provided with a list of things they need to photograph with a Polaroid camera. They will explore the SAF neighbourhood to find all the things, and then they will add their photos to the scrapbook they received at the beginning of the session.
Film screening: Hook (1991)
Time: 6:00 pm–9:00 pm
Director: Steven Spielberg
Fantasy/Adventure | 144 min
Suitable for all ages
Language: English with Arabic subtitles
After growing up and losing his memory of Neverland, Peter Pan must revisit his magical origins to rescue his two children, who have been kidnapped by Captain Hook. With the help of the Lost Boys and Tinkerbell, Peter Pan uses his imagination to regain his magical abilities so he can battle his old enemy Hook and win back his children.
All the above events and workshops are free to attend and open to the public; however, pre-registration is required for all Sharjah Art Foundation public programmes. Parents that wish to join their children at the workshops should contact us on children.education@sharjahart.org.
Registration can be completed on this link.
About Sharjah Art Foundation
Sharjah Art Foundation is an advocate, catalyst and producer of contemporary art within the Emirate of Sharjah and the surrounding region, in dialogue with the international arts community. Under the leadership of founder Hoor Al Qasimi, a curator and artist, the foundation advances an experimental and wide-ranging programmatic model that supports the production and presentation of contemporary art, preserves and celebrates the distinct culture of the region and encourages a shared understanding of the transformational role of art. The foundation’s core initiatives include the long-running Sharjah Biennial, featuring contemporary artists from around the world; the annual March Meeting, a convening of international arts professionals and artists; grants and residencies for artists, curators and cultural producers; ambitious and experimental commissions; and a range of travelling exhibitions and scholarly publications.
Established in 2009 to expand programmes beyond the Sharjah Biennial, which launched in 1993, the foundation is a critical resource for artists and cultural organisations in the Gulf and a conduit for local, regional and international developments in contemporary art. The foundation’s deep commitment to developing and sustaining the cultural life and heritage of Sharjah is reflected through year-round exhibitions, performances, screenings and educational programmes in the city of Sharjah and across the Emirate, often hosted in historic buildings that have been repurposed as cultural and community centres. A growing collection reflects the foundation’s support of contemporary artists in the realisation of new work and its recognition of the contributions made by pioneering modern artists from the region and around the world. Sharjah Art Foundation is a legally independent public body established by Emiri Decree and supported by government funding, grants from national and international nonprofits and cultural organisations, corporate sponsors and individual patrons. All exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.
About Sharjah
Sharjah is the third-largest of the seven United Arab Emirates, and the only one bridging the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Reflecting the deep commitment to the arts, architectural preservation and cultural education embraced by its ruler, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Sharjah is home to more than 20 museums and has long been known as the cultural hub of the United Arab Emirates. In 1998, it was named UNESCO's 'Arab Capital of Culture' and was designated the UNESCO ‘World Book Capital’ for the year 2019.
Media Contacts
Sharjah Art Foundation:
Alyazeyah Al Reyaysa, alyazeyah@sharjahart.org, +971(0)65444113