SHARJAH: His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, on Wednesday inaugurated Xposure 2016, the first International Photography Festival in Sharjah. Hosted by Sharjah Media Centre (SMC) at Expo Centre Sharjah, the festival will run till Saturday.

Addressing internationally-acclaimed photographers, industry experts and photography enthusiasts at the spectacular opening ceremony, SMC Chairman Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qasimi said that images are the collective visual memory of human societies. 

“They document our lives with all their moments of joy, happiness, sacrifice, achievement, success and disaster. Many are the pictures that were of greater influence than any other media tool,” he said.

He pointed out that since the invention of the camera, history has seen countless images change their course by addressing minds, touching hearts, revealing facts and conveying clear messages in a way better than all words do.

He stressed that the Xposure International Photography Festival is yet another initiative that is “aimed at complementing the cultural scene in Sharjah and supporting the creation of an innovative environment, as well as strengthening our media system.”

The SMC Chairman said that since the launch of Xposure competitions, targeting amateurs and professionals alike, the Centre has received thousands of entries from around the world, “which reflects the confidence and interest in the Festival and inspires us to support amateurs and encourage innovators by promoting competition among them and honing their skills.”

“The message we wish to convey through Xposure is based on our media vision, which emanates from the directives of the Ruler of Sharjah. We want pictures to be always for the service of man, speaking to his mind and addressing his emotions. We want them to help build him and enrich his knowledge. We want them to be honest, expressive and a main pillar of community development,” emphasised Sheikh Sultan. 

A COMMON LANGUAGE

Speaking on the occasion, David Alan Harvey, celebrated American documentary photographer and founder of the award-winning ‘Burn’ magazine, lauded Sharjah as the true Cultural Capital of the Arab and Islamic world because of its vibrant cultural heritage and patronage of art and culture. 

Delivering the keynote on the theme of ‘A Common Language’, Harvey said that photography is the common language of knowledge that is spoken and understood around the world. He praised the Ruler of Sharjah for his patronage of art and culture and initiating Xposure, which would carry forward this movement of culture and knowledge. He said that Sharjah holds immense attraction and promise for photographers from around the world. On this occasion, he presented his documentary celebrating the lives of female deep-sea divers from South Korea who start at a young age and continue to dive until they are in their 70s.

EYE ON THE SKY

The opening session also included a fascinating seminar and screening titled ‘Eye on the Sky’ by Prof Massimo Tarenghi of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and Alberto Ghizzi Panizza. Prof Massimo Tarenghi took his audience on an exciting journey far beyond the atmosphere. ESO operates its telescopes in the remote and arid inhospitable landscape of the Chilean Atacama Desert. With the World’s Most Advanced Optical Telescope as one of his tools, Prof Massimo talked about his journey, supported by images captured by Panizza.

PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

Alamsyah Rauf from Indonesia was declared the overall winner of the global photography competition that was held as a prelude to the event. He won first place for The Soulmate, a stunning black-and-white portrait.

David Martín Huamaní Bedoya from Peru won first place in the Current Affairs category for his arresting entry, When the River Sounds. Lal Nallath’s capture, Sandstorm in Dubai, achieved second place in the same category.

Spaceship by Waheed Akhtar won first place in the Fine Art category, followed by Sajin Sasidharan’s Black Mirror in second place. In the Landscape category, Polish photographer Wojciech Kruczynski’s Kjerkfjorden took the top honours, with Slave’s Edge by Finland’s Janne Kahila bagging the second place.

The winners of the Photojournalism category both hailed from Bangladesh. Mohammad Akhlas Uddin won first place for his entry Living Waste, while Mohammad Tanveer Hassan Rohan’s Fire Fighter ranked second. 

In the Street Photography category, Deba Prasad Roy ranked first for his capture Net Casting, and Md Khalid Rayhan Shawon came second for his image The Flying Path.

The winners of the Under 14 category all hailed from the UAE. Aishwarya and Afra Alsuwaidi won the first and second places respectively for the Creative Content listing, while Daniel Buhat and Khalid Abdulfattah Quzli were first and second place winners in the Capture by a Mobile Phone category.

Winning entries have been prominently displayed for public viewing at Expo Centre Sharjah as part of the four-day festival.