Festival of Lights at ASCC

For the first time in Kuwait, the Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre is organising a Festival of Lights. Discover a world of colour and imagination in this uniquely-designed experience of light art installations. Light art is an applied art form in which light is the main medium of expression. The stunning ambience illuminates the Centre and enhances its architectural beauty. The installations are made by hand-picked talented artists. It includes projections, mapping, and virtual reality to name a few. Work by the Canadian “Irregular Studio”, titled “Control No Control” will be on display. The artists are also conducting workshops, talks and live performances throughout the festival.

“Floresta Encantada” is an interactive virtual reality journey through an enchanted forest filled with magical characters that lead you to a shamanic experience. Combining the latest technologies with the knowledge of indigenous people, VJ Suave lead us into a world which will respond to our gestures and movements.

Control No Control by Daniel Iregui
The Control No Control interactive LED sculpture installation by Canadian-Colombian artist Daniel Iregui happily combines everyone’s fascination for bright lights, sound, and interactivity. Using their hands, arms or entire body, Control No Control audience can control the graphic display and motion of the installation and its soundscape. 

The Sadu Matrix by Jawad Altabtabai
The Sadu Pixel Matrix is an installation that was conceived for the SADI 2019 artist residency program. The installation is a three-dimensional interpretation of common motifs found in traditional Sadu work. It is an interactive installation that requires the observant to view it from multiple vantage points.

VJ Suave Short Films
Mixing street art with video mapping, VJ Suave gives life to different characters and stories. Each scene is drawn frame by frame using the traditional animation technique. The characters are running, flying, swimming and generating depth effects in continuous motion. Through experiments, VJ Suave developed their own techniques and tools to design and capture videos.

Mapping 
The facades of the Space Museum and the Theatre will be illuminated with projection mapping animations. These large-scale projections are a collaboration between the Centre, the Festival of Lights (Berlin) and MP Studio. The Festival of Lights (Berlin) is an international event series and is one of the most famous light festivals worldwide. MP-STUDIO is an award-winning company who are pioneers in 3D projection mapping. The projections will have different themes using special effects and light techniques.

Perception by Hessah Al Zayed
Perception is a light art installation by Hessah Al Zayed, a lighting artist and engineer based in Kuwait. The installation uses different materials to enhance visual experience. It is inspired by geometric abstraction that interacts with lights, shadows and materials. It is a minimalist design that transforms the viewer’s experience of the object. The use of orange and blue mimics the extremes of cold and warm temperatures that complement each other in lighting design.

VJ Suave has an audiovisual tricycle adapted with a projector. It is used so that small narratives with characters can travel through open spaces, lighting the walls on a large scale. This projection conveys art to all audiences and creates unique moments for the viewer.

And more.. [link]

Sanad - Life Starts at 50 at ASCC

As an inclusive and community-driven cultural institution, the centre is launching ‘Sanad’: an interactive platform aiming to engage retired individuals (50 +) through social, cultural, and recreational activities. Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre is happy to announce it will be collaborating with Yadawi and Daratma to offer sessions in Arts and Crafts and Yoga, respectively (Schedule below). 

ASCC is currently offering sessions for women only. The program is structured to run as both a one-off session and a progressive course, allowing participants the freedom and flexibility to join at any point, and for as many times as they prefer.  

Art by Yadawi
18 February | Object Design with Decopatch | 10:00AM-12:00PM
4, 11, 18, 25 March | 10:00AM-12:00PM
8, 15, 22, 29 April | Latin Calligraphy & Art Journaling - 10:00AM-12:00PM
6, 13, 20 May | Monoprinting
Location: Workshop Room 4, 1st floor, Fine Arts Centre

Free entry, registration required [link]

AWJ Retrospective Fine Art Exhibit by Nja Mahdaoui

The Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre is pleased to present the retrospective exhibition Awj, by Nja Mahdaoui, a major figure of art and Arabic calligraphy. 

This retrospective exhibition is an invitation to discover languages and shapes that resulted from the encounters and questions that crossed the artist’s life from 1966 to 2018. The artist traces the roots of where it all began while taking us on his journey. In fact, the exhibition juxtaposes distinctive temporalities.

His friends were poets, writers, and musicians. Since the 60’s, they have been challenging the orientalising gaze, tawdry folk and the mimesis of western modern art. They wanted to create a new form of art that carries a complex identity.

Although the artist was never interested in becoming part of a group of any kind, he has participated in many significant collective exhibitions. A key exhibition was the one in 1967 in Galerie Yahia in Tunis, where he showed Aura Popularis, a very powerful work that already gave hints to the calligraphic abstraction that will come afterwards.

The title AWJ refers to an Iraqi 'maquam', with a highly spiritual quality. Unlike other 'maquamat' which have fixed structures, Awj has an open form, meaning that the performer determines the form according to his or her own taste, drawing from a pool of different melodies. 

The title already sets the tone and rhythm of the exhibition. In fact, the viewers will determine their own meaning, depending on their perception of the letters. 

For Nja, who is profoundly influenced by post-structuralism, the meaning is projection, and therefore not at stake. Because the sign is defined by what is not, there is an infinite possibility of meanings. Therefore, it will always remain unrecoverable and indeterminate. In the artist’s work, every decoding is another encoding: it is a deconstructed architecture of letters which forms entirely-new vocabulary. 

The succession of letters does not form words but is a choreography of shapes and gestures. No wonder that he has been known as the “choreographer of letters”. In fact, as the exhibition unravels, the viewer discovers the extraordinary plasticity of the Arabic letter though not as something to be read. The artist plays with the vacant space between wanting to know and not being able to comprehend. 

The work of Nja Mahdaoui does not only emancipate calligraphy from its sacred function but also performs choreography of letters and gestures, which intertwines questioning our identity with abstract poetry.

Nutritional Psychology: Diet and the Brain at Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre

Register now in "Lecture Series" with Dr. Kamel Faraj.

Entitled Nutritional Psychology: Diet and brain. Dr. Kamel is a professor at the University of Kuwait and is also a practitioner who focuses on clarifying food treatment protocols, an accelerated and changing lifestyle and his impact on psychiatric treatment. It highlights mental health and lifestyle: a debate that affects the daily lives of all segments of Arab society.

Date: 17 October �, time: 7:00-8:30 pm
Price: FREE
Location: Museum of science and technology museum.
Sign up via our website:
‏ascckw.com/whats-on/

Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre Eid Carnival

ASCC Eid Activities

And much more..

Website

Ramadan Science Kids Club at ASCC

Creative Imagination and Embroidery Workshop at ASCC

Twilling Tweeds and Sadu Heritage: Textiles in Dialogue Exhibition at ASCC

Email FAC@ascckw.com for more details

Cafe Scientifique at Abdulla Salem Sabah Museum Complex

ASCC Museum Fun This Weekend

Review: Sheikh Abdullah Salem Cultural Centre Museum Complex

Garbage collected in a month. 

Starfish petting pool for the kids

A few exhibits were under maintenance

Mars rover

Labs and workshops

Book shop 

Gift shop

Embroidered cover from the Holy Kaaba

Silk embroidered with gold and silver thread palanquin for carrying the
Kaaba curtain. Circa 19th century

Ibn Battuta compiled an account of his 30 years of travelling in 1354

Cool, spacious walkways 

An interesting, fun morning spent at the impressive Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre. Very well priced, lots of free cool underground parking, covered walkways, spacious interiors filled with extraordinary pieces.

Opening Hours

OPENING HOURS

Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre is open during the following days and hours:

Days	Museums	Outdoor Facilities
Sat	9:00 AM – 7:00 PM	9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sun	Closed	Closed
Mon	9:00 AM – 7:00 PM	9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tue	9:00 AM – 7:00 PM	9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wed	9:00 AM – 7:00 PM	9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thu	3:00 PM - 10:00 PM	3:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Fri	3:00 PM - 10:00 PM	3:00 PM - 11:00 PM

* Ticket sales will stop 1 hour prior to closing time.

* Museums’ doors will be closed 15 minutes prior to full closure.

ONE-DAY PASSES

Adults (18+):	3 KD
Junior | Student (Max 18):	2 KD
Under 2:	Free of Charge
Ambulant Disabled:	1.5 KD
Wheelchair Disabled:	1.5 KD + Free Helper
Chaperon:	2 KD

A One-Day pass is valid for a single entry into ASCC, and multiple entries into all Museums.

SPECIAL TICKETS

Type	Price	Special Need Price
Virus Attack	2 KD	1 KD + Free Helper
Planetarium	2 KD	1 KD + Free Helper
Maker Space	5 KD	5 KD

It seems as well as the above prices there is a half-price entrance for the over 60s - maybe that's what's meant by ambulant disabled.

The initial reaction on arrival is awe-inspiring. The architecture is impressive, there was friendly helpful staff at the entrance and directing in the expansive car park, quick efficient security checks and loads to see. 

You will need at least 3 hours to see all the museums, extra time if you book special shows or workshops. There is a small Starbucks coffee shop and a larger restaurant to sustain you. The museums are spacious, airy and beautifully laid out. Adults and children all seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves and we loved seeing the kids squeal with delight at the starfish petting pool. The kids all seemed very interested and engaged in all they saw. 

Congratulations to Kuwait for their world-class museums, a real treat for all.

10/10 even though there were a few exhibits under maintenance but it didn't really take away from the overall magnificence.

Website: www.ascckw.com

Sheikh Abdullah Salem Cultural Centre & Museums is Open

Their website www.ascckw.com 

Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Cultural Centre Opens Wednesday March 14th 2018 and it Looks Amazing

More details from a previous post [link].

Map

Kuwait Will Have The Largest Museum In The World - Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre, Shaab

Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre

The Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre will create a new world class museum district within Kuwait. Together with the Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre, it will form Kuwait’s new national cultural project.
 
The cultural district is a celebration of the scientific and cultural achievements of mankind. The scale, shapes and shades of the buildings are designed to convey a sense of wonder and awe.

Each building will contain an array of permanent and temporary world class exhibits and artworks. Walking through the cultural district beneath the canopied 'streets' will be a journey full of surprises, with stunning views deep into the heart of the museums where visitors will see framed vistas of priceless exhibits.

Kuwaiti architecture is represented by the main ‘street’ which is not a straight line and echoes the traditional ‘ferej’ or neighbourhood. This creates exciting spaces, Islamic patterns, corners and walkways, mirroring the experience of walking down a traditional, busy Kuwaiti street.
 
The museums will celebrate Kuwaiti, Islamic and Arab culture and history. They will also embrace and showcase the rich diversity of the world’s finest cultural achievements.

The museum district will consist of six main buildings:

- Natural History Museum - (7700m2) will offer visitors a unique insight into the natural world and will include a stunning ecosystem experience that allows visitors to explore a living rain forest, mangrove and coral reef.

- Science Museum - (6800m2) will include galleries for Human Body & Mind, Experiment, Robotics and Technology & Transport, with exhibits featuring hands-on experiments, games and simulator experiences.

- Museum of Islamic History - (1900m2) includes exhibits on the development of Islamic art, architecture and science and will celebrate the culture and crafts of the Muslim world though artefacts, reconstructions, interactives and audio- visual presentations.

- Space Museum - (4300m2) with a 130 seat planetarium will tell the story of the earth and the universe, space exploration and include an immersive reconstruction of the international space station.

- Fine Arts Centre

- Theatre

LWDLIK - Sounds and looks truly amazing. The idea of tourism to Kuwait is looking a whole lot more real with these massive cultural projects/gems finished. JACC, its beautiful dancing fountains and outdoor restaurants is already open and flourishing.