The Qomra Photography Group of the National University of Science and Technology organised the opening ceremony of the Eighth Qomra Photography Week titled ‘Story’ under the patronage of Her Highness Mian bint Shihab bin Tarik al Said.
Qomra Photography Week is an important annual artistic event that brings together photographers and enthusiasts from inside and outside the Sultanate of Oman. It aims to showcase talents and contribute to the development of the art scene.
The week comprises various events, including a photo exhibition presenting the works of participating photographers. It provides the audience with the opportunity to explore the stories behind the photos and perceive the world through the photographers' lenses. The organisation of this event reflects efforts to promote culture, support talents, and encourage creativity across various fields.
The theme of this year's Qomra Photography Week is ‘Story’, which serves as a metaphor for the images as frozen moments and stories that photographers tell from their unique perspectives.
The opening ceremony commenced with a speech by Alaa al Saeghieh, Head of the Qomra Photography Group, who highlighted that images are moments and stories narrated by photographers from their perspectives. The week was preceded by several activities, including a Sports Day event held in collaboration with photography groups from Middle East College and Sultan Qaboos University. The group members also visited autism champions, where they organised a range of entertainment and artistic activities, including a mini-play and a photo session for children.
Al Saeghieh also expressed the Qomra group's aspirations to be a platform and an annual gathering for photography enthusiasts, including photographers, directors, and people in the field. The group aims to reach global and international platforms as representatives of Omani photographers and their art.
In the past eleven years, Qomra has won local and regional awards at individual and group levels. The Photography Group at Middle East College supported the event as a logistical sponsor, and the Photography Group at Sultan Qaboos University provided media coverage of the Sports Day event. Her Highness Mian bint Shihab bin Tarik al Said, the sponsor of the occasion, presented the shields to the jury consisting of Hanan al Asimiya, Nidal al Siyabi, and Muhannad al Badawi. They participated in the arbitration, sorting, and selection of works accepted in the exhibition based on approved technical criteria.
The audience had the opportunity to tour the exhibition and listen to the stories behind the photos selected for display in this edition of the Eighth Qomra Photography Week. These stories were narrated in a unique artistic style that reflects the photographer's message conveyed through their lens, expressing their artistic and creative vision. The photos focused on various topics, including the Omani woman and her traditional industries, traditional music vocabulary, and different harvest seasons.
The exhibition also featured pictures of silver industries, personal images of the elderly and children, the innocence of childhood, stories of grandmothers, and the Omani man's relationship with beauty. The diverse photos showcased Omani culture and heritage in an elaborate artistic style. The images of Omani women demonstrated remarkable elegance and expertise in their traditional industries. The daily life photos highlighted many aspects of the Omani man's life in an impressive and beautiful manner. The exhibition also included nature in the Sultanate of Oman and installation images that express young people's ideas and aspirations creatively and influentially.
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