As the weather cools down in Muscat, the art scene becomes more active and inviting. The just-concluded Raneen Art Festival at Muttrah, along Bait Al Khonji and Bait Al Khori, was an evocative example of art that, not only reaches out to the community, but actually makes them part of the process of creation, involving passersby and connoisseurs alike.
Often termed ‘participatory art’, creative productions which exist alongside the community succeed in promoting “engagement, empowerment and improving quality of life,” according to The Guardian.
Traditionally, art has been found inside prohibitively expensive art galleries, museums, castles and forts. This instantly creates a divide between art and spectators who do not feel a connection between paintings and sculptures and themselves.
However, in the case of Raneen, the community is an integral part of the showcased art because it inspires and creates the works which represent people, places and historical memories.
For example, the welcoming canopy that reflects a Bedouin tent, with flashes of sunlight falling differently depending on the time of day, depicts everyday life of a community and celebrates its sustainable material and architecture as it plays with light and shadows.
Similarly, the mural of an entire community consisting of people across all demographics celebrates the variety and aspiration to unity that is not only unique to Oman, but also representative of the historical community of Muttrah.
The interplay of painting with installations, heritage music as well as living art contribute to a vision of a culture that values its history, along with the desire to document, archive and preserve its tangible and intangible traditions.
Among such intangible heritage memories are the songs sung by mothers to their daughters, as showcased by Ruqaiya Mazar in an exhibit entitled ‘Hair and Poems’, a live singing session celebrates an ancient tradition of singing that brings different generations of women together and bonds them with the memory of combing, weaving and braiding.
Other instrumental music on the Oud, guitar, flute and violin permeating the corridors of the heritage buildings in Muttrah evoked a historical past in which dhows, ships and fishing boats would routinely pass by this busy port, catching on their way, the songs and music of the residents on these shores.
The participatory nature of this open air art gallery and museum was further enhanced by the opportunities that visitors had to stroll along corridors of photos and drawings to which they could contribute, adding their voice and talent to the creative performance on show.
Art indeed is not separate from everyday life. To think so is to isolate the artist as well as to ignore the beauty of everyday moments as they are reflected in songs, drawings or buildings.
Art events such as the Raneen Art Festival bring an entire community together. From being a place for the erudite art lover alone, it becomes a place where the historian, the musician and the artist meet, along with those who are themselves being depicted, painted and celebrated.
Such inclusivity not only binds society, it also gives it a common purpose and mission. By celebrating art together, a community articulates a shared vision of its past as well as its future.
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