RIYADH/ROME: Water scarcity is taking center stage at art exhibitions across the globe, calling attention to the consequences of climate change. From Portugal’s Bienal Del Agua to the UNESCO Office’s “Water Dream Memory” at the Venice Biennale, art is not only a tool for contemplation but also a platform to shape future policy.
This year’s edition of Videocitta, an international festival dedicated to vision, video art and digital culture which ended in Rome last week, put water at the heart of its vision, exploring its ecological, political and cultural significance.
Videocitta President Francesco Rutelli said: “The challenges concerning water are and will remain crucial. Water, after all, is a theme the Arab world understands better than anyone. Scarcity has always been the mother of ingenuity.
“Bringing decision-makers together with a new generation of digital artists and with a wide public helps create collaborations that are both pragmatic and visionary, especially in the decisive field of adaptation: a challenge all humankind must confront, yes, creatively and solve in the medium term,” he told Arab News.
The festival was held at Gazometro di Roma, once the largest gasometer in Italy, to bring immersive light installations, augmented reality and virtual reality experiences, video art, talks, DJ sets to the public.
