Creative Saudi Youth Explore UK

Eleven talented young artists from Saudi Arabia will begin a journey around the UK with the London-based education program Offscreen Expeditions on 1^st July 2012, learning key skills and improving their talents with some of the UK’s top creative industries, including workshops at Tate Modern and the British Museum. This unique creative expedition was awarded to the winners of the Arts and Creativity category of the Most Competitive Youth competition.

Offscreen Expeditions Director Stephen Stapleton explains: “The aim of the project is to give young people from the UK and Saudi Arabia the chance to communicate and learn from each other in positive and creative ways.”

Judges for the competition included Venetia Porter,Curator of Islamic and contemporary Middle East at the British Museum, and Saudi contemporary artist Ahmed Mater. Of the competition, Venetia says: “It was a great privilege to be invited to be a judge on the second Create and Inspire competition. The artists were asked to produce something connected to the Hajj and they rose to the occasion in such interesting ways; there is a huge amount of creativity in Saudi Arabia.” The winning artworks were displayed in the British Museum’s Addis Gallery to coincide with Hajj: Journey to the heart of Islam earlier this year and will be on show in London’s Arab British Center from June.

British Airways supported the initiative by providing the winners with return flights from Saudi Arabia to the UK. This support reflects the airline’s commitment to the Kingdom and the importance of Saudi Arabia to British Airways.

Ranging between the ages of 16 to 25 and working in photography, painting and mixed media, the team will travel across the UK for two weeks with Offscreen Expeditions, a program of the Crossway Foundation. In Cornwall the group will explore another part of the UK’s art scene through working with Tate St. Ives, the Barbara Hepworth Museum and local artists. Collaborating with young Londoners, including the award winning youth group, Mile End Community Project, the young Saudi expedition team will create an art piece documenting their creative journey and the links between Saudi Arabia and the UK.

“Your idea, your action, your impact’, this sentence best describes the reasons we entered the Create & Inspire competition; the opportunity to showcase our work and thoughts, to inspire our communities, and make a positive change in our society.” – Create & Inspire winner 2012, Mario El Khouri, Jeddah, Saudia Arabia.

Follow the journey on:

www.facebook.com/offscreenexpeditions and www.twitter.com/offscreenexped