17 May 2018 – 8:25
The Peninsula
DOHA: On the occasion of International Museum Day on May 18, Hamad International Airport (HIA), in cooperation with Qatar Museums, held a special tour in its terminal showcasing its various art pieces for school students from Oryx International School.
The objective of International Museum Day is to raise awareness of the fact that, ‘museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.’ This year’s theme for International Museum Day is “Hyper-connected museums: New approaches, new publics” which is particularly apt for HIA, as the airport is the gateway to the world, strategically located at the crossroads of East and West sides of the globe connecting the world to more than 150 destinations across all continents.
The airport in cooperation with Qatar Museums houses more than 20 art pieces by local and international artists as part of their public art programme and is intended to bring culture to public spaces on a huge scale with high impact and mass appeal. Thirty students and their teachers from Oryx International School in Doha, were invited for an exclusive tour of the art programme at the airport to introduce the students to the idea that art and culture can be found outside the four walls of a museum, such as an airport and where they can appreciate and interact with exhibits which are custom made for massive spaces like the terminal.
Abdulaziz Al Mass, Vice-President, Commercial and Marketing at HIA, said: “We hope students from Oryx International School Doha enjoyed their informative tour of the art programme at HIA and we thank them for coming. HIA, as a gateway to arts and culture, is happy to be an active participant in International Museum Day and to serve as a platform for raising public awareness on the role museums play today in the improvement of society, on an international level.”
HIA’s Art Programme is designed to use the airport as an innovative space beyond the walls of a gallery in order to intrigue, surprise and inspire passengers in transit to their next destination, as well as giving them peace of mind. HIA’s Art Programme is truly re-defining the passenger experience, transporting their mind to unexpected places while in transit, making the airport an art destination on its own.
The students were also shown the check-in process including the latest self-check-in and bag-drop facilities at the airport, the e-gate facilities and took a ride on the passenger train. The airport, in partnership with Qatar Duty Free (QDF) organised lunch, a puppet show as entertainment, and give-aways for the children.
