The sixth edition of Culture Summit Abu Dhabi, organised as usual by DCT Abu Dhabi as a three-day event at Manarat Al Saadiyat, takes place this year from 29 to 31 October.
The theme is A Matter of Time, and the “exceptional collection of thought leaders from the various fields of culture” who comprise the audience will be exploring “our changing relation to time and how culture can change the world’s interpretation of time”.
You want more meat on them bones? The press release is happy to go into lyrical overdrive: “Experts, creative thinkers, artists, change makers, policymakers and leaders from the culture and creative industries will look into how this change is impacting the way culture is produced, received and consumed, and also the role that culture – which so often holds together past, present, future – could play to help us navigate this moment of inflection in the way we relate to the notion of time. The summit sessions will shift away from ‘mechanical time’ characteristic of our contemporary era to a ‘new cultural time’ realigned with the rhythm of human awareness and nature.”
That will be realised through a multi-track agenda of keynotes, plenary sessions, panel discussions, artist talks, case study workshops, creative conversations, and policy sessions organised by themes:
There will also be performances (no details yet) and an art exhibition (ditto).
Ernesto Ottone, Assistant DG for Culture of UNESCO, sees 2023 as a landmark year for the culture sector. “At a mid-point in the implementation of the SDGs, artists and culture professionals can bring new solutions to fill existing gaps. The time is now to act for the integration of culture as a stand-alone goal in the post 2030 international development agenda.”
In its fairly brief existence – the first was held in 2017 – Culture Summit Abu Dhabi has become established as a useful critical forum. There’s an inevitable overlay of glitz at times, but the session planning is generally solid and stimulating; and the outcomes of the Summit – notably last year’s Culture in Times of COVID-19: Resilience, Recovery and Revival – can genuinely inform policy at many levels, from the individual organisation to the transnational institution.
Although the quality of the presentations and the arguments is the key factor, the quality of the speakers and the accompanying performances is pretty impressive. The 2023 programme hasn’t been published yet – register for updates on the website – but past speakers have included some big names like Madeleine Albright, Ruangrupa, Frank Gehry, Trevor Noah, and Hoor Al Qasimi (who was particularly good).
The best part though is probably the networking, both to build partnerships and to exchange knowledge and opinion. There’s real merit to getting “architects, designers, dancers, choreographers, artists, philosophers, futurists, writers, and curators” in the same room to talk about common directions of travel from so many different starting points.
We weren’t always so supportive. In its early days the Summit did feel like am exercise in naked soft power, impressing an invited audience with the kind of expensive entertainment that Abu Dhabi can do so well. But things have moved on, and the Summit has grown into its role.
It’s well worth attending … if you can get in. The majority of participants will be there by (carefully selected) invitation. For the rest of us, there are some free seats, and you can register your interest here. Your application includes the option to say why you want to attend, so it’s probably not going to be first come first served …
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