Marking the 20th anniversary of Culture Resource (Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy), Living Fabric: Cultural Ecosystem Forum, organized in Beirut, Lebanon, comes together to weave the intricate threads of what has become a large network of partners across the Arab region working in artistic, literary and cultural productions in general; threads that are perpetually vulnerable or at risk due to the region’s increasingly perilous political and economic conditions.
Over the course of two days, the program asks the question of how to build and sustain ecosystems of support that are responsive yet generative. By giving space to intergenerational dialogue from across the Arab world, the forum revisits the social and political role and responsibility of cultural work across the region amidst extreme violence and rising fascism.
The Forum starts with reflecting on the early 2000s and into the Arab Spring and more recent revolutions, wars and the genocide on Gaza as pivotal moments for the region, and asks how to reclaim a commons that can be actively practiced. It examines the language that we use, funding models, censorship and the limits of refusal. The program also features a radio program and practical workshops that introduce tools and models for resource sharing, techniques for critically engaging with AI and digital transformations, and strategies for navigating mental and emotional health in cultural work in order to sustain both personal practice and broader civic and political engagement.
Program:
24 October – Metropolis Cinema
15:00-19:30 – Forum
20:00 – Music performance by Beirut Synthesizer Center
25 October – Metropolis Cinema + Metro Al Madina
10:00-19:00 – Forum (Metropolis Cinema)
22:00 – Music performances: Milaha (Dina El Wedidi, Maya Al Khaldi, Youmna Saba), SILK (Khaled Omran, Romy Melhem), Wael ElKak (Metro Al Madina)
Check the detailed program and learn more about the sessions and the forum contributors.
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