Add your own piece of sustainable art at the Expo 2020 Dubai

DUBAI: Expo 2020 Dubai’s one-of-a-kind community art project, Hammour House, was inaugurated with the ‘planting’ of its first piece of coral artwork, which will be added to and allowed to grow into an exciting sculpture from now until March. Show visitors are invited to make their own piece of coral from recycled materials at one of Hammer House’s workshops, then add it to the others.

The inauguration event brought together artists, students, and families to Hammour House, located at Expo’s Opportunity Plaza. Other installations on show include a vibrant tapestry depicting marine life, created by school students using the batik technique and sustainable dyes, and Hammour Fish, a sculpture made from ghost nets — fishing nets lost and/or abandoned at sea — by Australian artist Sue Ryan.

Dulsco, Official Waste Management Partner of Expo Dubai 2020, a homegrown Emirati company established in 1935, is working closely with Hammour House. It has donated waste materials to be used as decorative fibres, which Expo visitors can use to make their additions to the coral sculpture. It also supplies waste bins to be transformed into ‘art bins’ by the in-house knitting experts, inspired by an art movement called yarn bombing, depicting a marine environment. One new bin will be unveiled during each month of Expo.

Dr. Hayat Shamsuddin, Senior Vice President, Arts & Culture, Expo 2020 Dubai, said, “Our project brings together the whole community and invites all visitors to consider how oceans and their resources are critical to food security and human welfare while providing an essential buffer to global climate warming and to the decline of biodiversity.”

Joelle Saab, Head of the Expo 2020 project at Dulsco, said, “Nobody would have imagined that a waste bin could be a tool for the amazing artwork. At Dulsco, we always tell the story of how we see waste as a resource, and the collaboration with Hammour House reiterates our message. We are delighted to be part of this creative project, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have.”

Inviting communities around the world to connect with the issues of sustainability, Hammour House examines the coral reefs of the UAE and its inhabitants, particularly the orange-spotted grouper, commonly known locally as hammour. Visitors to Expo can learn more by participating in the various workshops on offer — knitting classes are being held daily, and visitors to Hammour House can also meet and learn from a wide number of UAE-based artists who will be hosting their ‘Artist Takeover’ sessions from now until the end of Expo.

Source: Expo 2020 website