Innovation and Renewal in the Traditional Arts

Tuesday March 18, 6:30-8:00pm
New York University Abu Dhabi

Are the traditional arts a product of their time? What inventions and creations emerged from the traditional practice of Islamic Arts and Classical Arabic Music? How did the artists of the day draw on technological and scientific innovation to inform and extend their practice? Are those creations frozen in time or do they continue to evolve? How can contemporary practitioners of the traditional arts respect the traditions of their craft whilst continuing to remain relevant for today’s audiences? How can today’s advances in technology and science enable the preservation of Islamic Art and Classical Arabic music so that it may be enjoyed for generations to come? In keeping with the Festival theme of ‘Creative Innovation’, heads of institutions pioneering efforts for the preservation and development of the arts share insights into the long and living history of innovation within arts and music. Dynamic, groundbreaking and complex, panelists will consider how innovations such as musical scales, notation, instrumental design, painting techniques and materials, architecture, design and geometry have played and continue to play a core role in the creation, renewal and preservation of traditional arts.

The Panel

Manish Pandey, Screenwriter & Producer, UK (Moderator)

Dr. Khaled Azzam LVO, Director, The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, UK

Kamal Kassar, Founder & President, Foundation for Arabic Music Archiving & Research, Lebanon.