The Gulf Ceramics Carnival kicked off at Jabreen Castle on Thursday. The opening ceremony of the fair, which will run till March 27, was held under the auspices of Eng Ibrahim bin Said al Kharousi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism for Heritage. It is organised by Integrated Trust Investment Company, which operates Jabreen Castle in cooperation with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority.
Top potters from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar are taking part in the carnival.
The carnival includes a workshop to exchange experiences. Dr Bader al Maamari, Head of the Art Education Department at Sultan Qaboos University, will present a working paper on Raku technique where glazed ceramics are taken from the kiln while they are still glowing red hot and are then placed in a material that would be able to catch fire, such as sawdust or newspaper. This technique is used to starve the piece of oxygen, which creates a myriad of colours within the glaze.
Another workshop about the philosophy of restoration in ceramic works by Kintsuji technique will be presented by Dr Mona Simbel who holds a Master's degree in Islamic Arts with specialisation in ceramics.
An exhibition of antique pottery, which will display the oldest and most unique pieces by Mohammed bin Ahmed Ambusaidi is another highlight of the carnival.
One of the main objectives of this carnival is to exchange best practices in pottery and to develop better products for local and international markets. Such events also aim to attract more tourists to the heritage sites.
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