“Qatar UK 2013 – Year of Culture” and Qatargas announced sending Ben Barbour, the Doha based, Msheireb resident artist from Qatar to the UK aboard the Q-Flex LNG vessel ‘Al Karaana’, owned by Nakilat and managed by Shell International Shipping and Trading Ltd, to South Hook, Wales – Europe’s largest re-gasification terminal. The journey will follow the historic pearl trade routes, during which Barbour will capture observations and objects from both past and present in his art.
Ben Barbour is a celebrated, professional and extraordinary talent with deep roots documenting Qatar’s remarkable journey. His highly acclaimed work ‘New City’ documented Msheireb, the earliest suburb of Doha, through sketches as the area underwent extensive regeneration. Barbour’s voyage on board the Q-Flex, will draw parallels between Qatar’s industry of natural resources and its former pearl fishing industry. Barbour will also focus on the community of individuals onboard the tanker, collecting and re-telling the personal stories of the crew as well as organising workshops for them.
Whilst following the old pearl trade routes, Barbour will regularly post updates online; they can be followed on the Qatar UK 2013 Facebook page .
Ben Barbour says “It’s been a lifelong dream to take part in a journey of this kind. I am very grateful to Qatar UK 2013, the British Council, Qatargas and Nakilat for having given me the opportunity to travel on a Q-flex and explore the journey first hand. I feel very honoured to be able to contribute to the Year of Culture, documenting not only the past, but also some of the shared similarities between Qatar and the UK.”
Abdurrahman Mohamed Al-Mulla, Shipping Manager, Qatargas says “As a peninsula in the Arabian Gulf, Qatar has always depended on the sea. Traditionally, our people have earned their livelihood based on pearling and fishing. Today, as the world’s largest LNG supplier, we still depend on the sea to deliver LNG to our customers throughout the world on our fleet of LNG carriers, the biggest fleet of LNG vessels in existence – our ‘floating pipeline’. Qatargas is delighted to support Ben Barbour in this 20-day voyage from Qatar to the UK on the Qatargas-chartered vessel that carries liquefied natural gas from our plants in Ras Laffan to the South Hook Terminal in Milford Haven. Qatargas’ support to this venture reflects the importance we attach to arts and culture as key focus areas of our corporate social responsibility programme. As Platinum Sponsor of the Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture, Qatargas is already supporting various cultural events and exhibitions in both the countries.”
Culminating with an exhibition at Katara Cultural Village in October and in Wales later in the year, the trip’s purpose is to deepen understanding of Qatar’s unprecedented economic development from dependence on the natural resources provided by the sea through economic diversity powered by the oil and gas sector to greater economic diversification and the creation of a knowledge-based economy by 2030.