News

Korean Cultural Heritage Festival Marries Contemporary and Cool with Traditional Arts

“Korean Cultural Heritage Festival Marries Contemporary and Cool with Traditional Arts”

by Carlito Pablo via “Georgia Straight“

THIS YEAR’S KOREAN Cultural Heritage Festival will have a modern feel.

According to festival spokesperson Mike Suk, it’s going to be vibrant and cutting-edge, reflecting South Korea’s status as a major global tastemaker, from cars to smart phones to pop culture. The festival’s theme is Dynamics of a Modern Korea.

“We want to show people the new Korea,” Suk told the Georgia Straight in a phone interview.

According to Suk, Hyundai will roll out its latest cars at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby’s Central Park, the venue for the 13th annual festival organized by the Korean Cultural Heritage Society.

He added that for the first time, huge TV screens will be set up to play Korean pop-music (K-pop) videos and commercials throughout Saturday (August 16). On-stage, local performers will sing and dance to K-pop songs.

“The energy is going to feel different,” Suk said. “It is important to note, this festival is not exclusive to the Korean community but rather a true celebration of a multicultural Canada”

Historically, the festival has been about traditional elements, and Suk said those will be present as well. A drum dance will open the festivities, followed by a reenactment of a traditional Korean royal wedding.

There will be a demonstration of the Korean martial art tae kwon do, and there will be tightrope-walking, or jultagi. A food pavilion will offer Korean food, beer, and wine, and traditional Korean souvenirs and gifts will be sold.

B.C.’s Korean community has grown to about 80,000. According to Suk’s organization, it is second in size in Canada to Ontario’s. . . . .”

Art Agenda: ‘Here and Elsewhere,’ Singapore Heritage Festival

via “RelaxNews“

Singapore Heritage Festival
July 18-27
Singapore

The 11th edition of Singapore’s annual exploration of cultural history, this year with the theme of “Our Islands, Our Home,” promising a voyage across the 50-island Singaporean archipelago with plentiful festival hubs, island tours and heritage trails.
heritagefest.org.sg

Kingdom, First Among Arab Countries To Set Up Monuments System

via “Arab News“

General Supervisor of King Abdullah Cultural Heritage Project and vice president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) Ali Al Ghabban said Saudi Arabia is one of the first Arab countries to set up a monuments system with the aim to protect the heritage sites in the Kingdom for their cultural significance and their value as an economic resource.

“Saudi Arabia is one of the first Arab countries to set up a system for monuments,” Al Ghabban said in a press statement issued yesterday.

Applauding the issuance of the new system of monuments, museums and architectural heritage which was issued by the Council of Ministers recently, Al Ghabban asserted that the new system of monuments enhances the protection of national heritage sites as resources for economic benefit.

He added that the former system was issued 40 years ago but it was necessary to effect some changes in light of an evolution in the government’s interest in preserving architectural and urban heritage including museums to develop a system for the protection of monuments.

He revealed that the new system had been under study for a long time with concerned partners prior to being released with requirements which would enhance the process of preservation, protection and investment.

“The new system focuses on the importance of monuments, their preservation and as an important area of investment to benefit the country’s economy,” Al Ghabban underlined.

He further said the new system devotes a special chapter to urban heritage and museums and takes care of investment in national heritage. It also ensures economical benefits with regard to the sunken monuments and seeks cooperation from scientific missions, exploration operations and archaeological surveys to cope with new developments.

It further classified the architectural heritage, which is recorded as a national heritage with various categories and also supports the creation of a fund to support urban and general heritage, the SCTA deputy said.

“All of these combine to make the new system an important step toward the protection and development of the national heritage and culture,” Al Ghabban asserted.

According to him, the important additions of the new system are in the area of protection where government agencies including the ministries of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Agriculture, Transport, Petroleum and Mineral Resources and other agencies are obliged to operate in locations that are earmarked for developmental projects to ensure there are no sunken or visible monuments there.

Challenges in Managing Cultural Heritage in Qatar

by Alice Bianchi and Ferhan Sakal via “Gulf Times”

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Guinness World Record: 100 International Female Street Artists Mural

by Vidar via “Street Art Utopia“

By Miss Hazard.

“Femme Fierce, the largest all-female street art event in the UK is dedicated to unearthing and highlighting the best of the burgeoning female artists on the street art scene. Coinciding with International Women’s Week, Femme Fierce is a celebration of women that create art in studios, lurk in dark alleyways, scale roof tops, enter abandoned buildings and add colour to the grey concrete walls that make up our cityscape for the love of the covert and oft-maligned world of street art and graffiti.” Femme Fierce.

In Leake Street Tunnel, south London, England.

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