The Palestinian Museum participates for the second time in "Qalandiya International" – the inspiring contemporary arts event- in a series of symposiums and workshops, whereby some discuss this year's theme "The Sea is Mine".
The first symposium of the Palestinian Museum within the "Qalandiya International interventions" under the title "The Palestinian Museum in Context: The Role of Museums Worldwide in the Early 21st Century" took place on October 9th. The speakers, with rich background and diverse experiences in the nature of work of museums, have discussed the role of museums in response to the social changes and technological development, and highlighted what the Palestinian Museum will be presenting of new historical, social, and cultural perspectives in Palestine, employing electronic platforms, as well as local and international partnerships.
The museum will present its a second symposium on October 18th under the title "The Theme of the Sea in Palestinian Art & Culture". A group of intellectuals who have introduced important intellectual productions in arts, history, and literature where the sea and its connotations was vivid will be part of this encounter. The discussions will highlight the presence of the sea in the arts and literature productions, the significance of this presence and its value, and how and where can Palestinians find themselves in such a metaphor.
The Palestinian Museum’s third symposium will be held on October 20th, entitled "At the Seams: a Political History of Palestinian Embroidery". This platform will present the highlight of what was presented in the first satellite exhibition of the Palestinian Museum "At the Seams" as well as extending the research about embroidery in its political and historical context between the 19th and early 21st centuries. This event will be hosted by the exhibition’s curator, Rachel Dedman and a number of those who have made significant contributions in the field of embroidery.
The museum will also organize a series of Children’s Workshop: An Educational Art Programme for School Children on the Theme ‘This Sea is Mine’, whose majority have never seen the sea in real, or are descendants of families that lived once by the sea then were stripped from their land by force to end up in refugee camps. These workshops aim at stirring imagination, memories, and raising questions about their perception of the sea and their memories and others, through subjecting them to a diverse, guiding them and facilitating the way ahead of them. A group of well-trained supervisors with different specialties will help these children to express their thoughts about how they perceive the sea, in order that they transform these mental capacities into a product they get to select.
It is worth mentioning that The Palestinian Museum is a major partner in the "Qalandia International", in line with its interest in the contemporary arts.