25 April 2015
In a Lecture on Heritage and Modernity (al-turath wa al-hadatha), Dr. Al-Kahmir: “Preserving heritage is not simply safe storage at the right temperature.”
On the occasion of the opening of the exhibition ‘Fables Across Time’ (Kalila wa Dimna), Dr. Sabiha Al-Khamir gave a lecture on ‘Heritage and Modernity’ (al-turath wa al-hadatha). The talk offered insights into the role played by creativity in the perpetuation of heritage, bringing to the fore the significance of this kind of project at this moment in time.
Dr. Sabiha expressed her happiness for ‘Fables Across Time’ (Kalila wa Dimna), arguing that presenting this masterpiece was a special moment. Dr. Sabiha also extended her thanks to the team of Bahrain’s Authority for Culture & Antiquities and the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis, stating that this common project has achieved a new vision and reached new horizons by joining two cultures, not simply two institutions.
Speaking about her choice of ‘Fables Across Time’ (Kalila wa Dimna), as the theme of this exhibition, Dr. Sabiha pointed out that Islamic art was born and flourished in the 17th century with all its creative aspects from Cordova to Samarkand. This same glorious heritage started its decline and stagnation during the 19th century.
“Many challenges faced this heritage with regard to creativity, remaking and the rehabilitation of our own cultural values and the different aspects of our material culture, our architecture, arts and crafts as well as our costumes’, Dr. Sabiha said. “I was wondering, what we mean by heritage preservation? Does that mean storing it safely at the right temperature or reshaping it and revisiting it to link past with present? Communicating past with present is the mean theme I worked with to exploit and highlight through ‘Kalila wa Dimna’. This can only be done through responsible creativity,’ she added.
“Given that our Oriental Middle Eastern heritage is basically an oral storytelling heritage and that in the 21st century image era, we face challenges on how to transform our Islamic heritage into visual documentation. While the time between a building's creation and its protection and conservation has never been as compressed as it is for the heritage of the modern era, we should opt for modernity and plans to show our rich heritage to the world in a multidimensional way,” Dr. Sabiha argued.
At the end of her lecture, Dr. Sabiha Al-Khamir said that this exhibition is for children and adults alike, given that the message of ‘Fables Across Time’ (Kalila wa Dimna) is complex and meditative though simplified and that it speaks to the child in us.
