Sheikh Sultan inaugurates “Water: H2O = Life” exhibition

Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), inaugurated last week the “Water: H2O = Life” exhibition at Qasr al Hosn Cultural District Hall in Abu Dhabi. The water exhibition is held by ADACH until January 5, 2012 in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History. Sheikh Sultan, accompanied by Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei; Advisor for Culture and Heritage in the Court of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Director General of ADACH and a number of prominent diplomats, toured the exhibition’s eight sections, which are: Life in Water, Blue Planet, Water Works, Water Everywhere, Not a Drop, Healthy Water Healthy Lives, Restoring Ecosystems and Local Stories of people who have pledged to protect and preserve water resources in the UAE. In his opening speech, Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei said that “Through this exhibition, ADACH underlines the challenges of achieving a sustainable system for water management.” “With more than 90 subjects and models, and through the use of interactive and three-dimensional environments, this exhibition reveals the multicultural aspects of water, its role in art and civilization, and its unique ability to enrich our human experience and cultural heritage,” said Mazrouei. “The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God bless his soul, launched projects aimed at the development of water resources in the UAE and influenced many countries internationally in this area,” he added. Al Mazrouei also noted that one of the main reasons Al Ain City was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list was due to the sophisticated Aflaj irrigation system which dates back to the Iron Age. Dr. Sami el-Masri, Deputy Director General for Arts, Culture and Heritage and Director of Strategic Planning & Development remarked, “Through the water exhibition, ADACH is raising awareness about the importance of conserving and preserving its vital resources by focusing on the traditions and customs water brought about to the local community.” Exhibition Highlights • A fog screen and water drops falling into a lighted pool greet visitors as they enter the exhibition, symbolizing not only the beauty and universality of water, but also its scarcity and fragility • Extensive interactive stations including one where visitors can examine the many microorganisms that live in a drop of water • Science on a Sphere, a 69-inch globe illuminated with maps and satellite images of Earth, dramatically illustrating how water is distributed and used around the world • Touchable sculpture of water in all its three states • Vieo touch screens quiz visitors on what they can do to conserve water