The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced the sixth edition of its leading global forum, Culture Summit Abu Dhabi, which will return to Manarat Al Saadiyat in the UAE capital from Oct. 29 to 31. 
Held under the theme “A Matter of Time,” this edition will gather an exceptional collection of thought leaders from the various fields of culture such as art, heritage, media, music, museums, public policy, and technology from over 90 countries, to explore our changing relation to time and how culture can change the world’s interpretation of time. 

Experts, creative thinkers, artists, change makers, policy makers, and leaders from the culture and creative industries will look into how this change is impacting the way culture is produced, received, and consumed, and also the role that culture—which so often holds together past, present, future—could play to help us navigate this moment of inflection in the way we relate to the notion of time. The summit sessions will shift away from “mechanical time” characteristic of our contemporary era to a “new cultural time” realigned with the rhythm of human awareness and nature.

This year’s program features a multi-track agenda consisting of a series of keynotes, plenary sessions, panel discussions, artist talks, case study workshops, creative conversations, policy sessions, cultural performances, and a visual art exhibition. 
First held in 2017, Culture Summit Abu Dhabi is an annual global convening that harnesses the expertise of policy makers, researchers, artists, and culture professionals to examine urgent contemporary issues facing cultural industries, with the ambition to identify ways in which culture can transform societies and communities worldwide and turn these into actions and solutions. An extraordinary forum of knowledge exchange, debate, and policy development, Culture Summit is organized by DCT Abu Dhabi in collaboration with global partner organizations, which this year include UNESCO, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, Economist Impact, the Design Museum, Google, and the Recording Academy, among others. 

“The sixth edition of the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi will explore the role of culture in changing the world’s tempo by offering a closer look at our relation to time. As we navigate a modern, complex world, we must ask ourselves how does our relation to time impact the way we produce and consume culture now, and in the future,” said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi. “We look forward to welcoming academics, policymakers, and innovators from around the globe to Abu Dhabi to address this concept to drive change in the creative industries and wider cultural landscape. Culture Summit Abu Dhabi continues to be a cornerstone of a diverse cultural program, which is curated to inspire creativity and knowledge development, helping to diversify and build a knowledge-based economy.”

Each day, the summit program will follow a specific sub-theme to unpack how our relation to time is evolving, examine the challenges this evolution represents for the culture and creative sectors, and provide focused, functional solutions.

Day 1, for instance, “Time to Remember (The passage of time),” looks at how we make sense of the course of time in an era where everyone’s attention span is altered while simultaneously, everything is recorded to be remembered forever. Day 2, “Time to Act (Seizing the moment),” sheds light on the spread of “fast culture” gradually eroding critical thinking and our capacity to deal with complexity, creating significant disruptions to how culture is produced, received, and consumed. Day 3, “Time to Share (A never-ending time),” will focus on highlighting what culture can offer in the wake of new long-time horizons by introducing the notion of “deep time” and the rising call to become good ancestors, inviting reflection on the global challenge of climate change and the need to bridge the gap between generations. 

“[This] is a landmark year for the culture sector. At a mid-point in the implementation of the SDGs, artists and culture professionals can bring new solutions to fill existing gaps,” says Ernesto Ottone R., assistant director-general for culture at UNESCO. “The time is now to act for the integration of culture as a stand-alone goal in the post 2030 international development agenda.” 

Additional Culture Summit Abu Dhabi partners include Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy, Arab World Institute, Berklee Abu Dhabi, Club de Madrid, Cultural Foundation, IFACCA, Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi, NYUAD and World Cities Culture Forum, and Zayed NationalMuseum.

In previous editions of Culture Summit Abu Dhabi, the event has been marked by thought-provoking highlights and speakers including such influential figures as Madeleine Albright, Darren Walker, Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, Ruangrupa, Frank Gehry, and Trevor Noah, who have all contributed to enriching dialogues and inspiring cultural conversations. As the result of Culture Summit 2022, DCT Abu Dhabi and UNESCO co-published the “Culture in Times of Covid-19: Resilience, Recovery, and Revival” report, giving a global overview of the impact of the pandemic on the culture sector since March 2020, and outlining directions for its revival. www.culturesummitabudhabi.com