Art & Culture

8 THE MONGOL MESSENGER

Friday, March 11, 2016

ARTS COUNCIL OF MONGOLIA

arts
council
of mongolia

Smart Water project to raise public awareness of water scarcity

Water is essential for life but fresh water

only accounts for 2.5% of the total water on
earth. Some 68.1% of this water is in the
form of ice, 30.1% is in ground water and
1.2% is surface water including rivers and
lakes. Humans are not the only ones that
need water: all living beings and agriculture
rely on it to survive.
Water scarcity and poor water quality
negatively impact our health and the
environment. A report from the Asian
Development Bank sent a warning signal to
Mongolia that despite its wealth of natural
resources and pristine image, the country may

soon face a severe water scarcity and quality

crisis one that could leave Ulaanbaatar with
water shortages as early as 2015. To combat
this, the Smart Water Project aims to build
awareness of our water crisis, encourage
SMART water consumption and protect the
environment by raising public awareness
through partnerships between the artistic
community, non-profits and government
bodies.
The Smart Water project will bring
together water experts and artists to
develop innovative and smart ways to raise
awareness of current water consumption in

Ulaanbaatar, and how we can save our water

resources and protect our environment. To
achieve this goal, the project will involve a
cross-sector partnership that will consist of
a series of talks and discussions on simple
everyday environment protection and smart
water consumption. A public screening of
U.S and Mongolian feature and documentary
films will be held and a public ice art
demonstration that illustrates the contrast
between household daily, vs. SMART water
consumption.
As an outcome of the project, the residents
of UB will have a better understanding of

our water crisis and how it may affect our

lifestyle, health and the environment. Thus,
the project will encourage people to change
their attitude towards water availability and
supply, something we currently take for
granted. It will also inform the public about
the ways human activity damages water
resources and how citizens can contribute
to the issue by being smart about water
consumption in everyday life.
The project will benefit the general
public, particularly youth, who are likely
to live with more water shortages in the
future. Organizing discussions, the public
screening of films and the public art display
on the largest square in the country will draw
young people living in the city and help
them understand the challenge. During the
demonstration more than 10-20,000 people
will pass through Chinggis Square and the
creative method will ensure they engage
with the issue. Artists and environmental
experts will also be involved in the project.
The project will be launched on March
11, with the unveiling of two ice sculptures
on Chinggis Square and the screening of
FILM NAME HERE at Tengis Cinema.
The program continues with the screening
of FILM NAME HERE on March 18 at
Gegenten. In conjunction with World Water
Day, March 22 will see the screening of
FILM NAME HERE at Orgil Cinema. Our
final screening of FILM NAME HERE will
be held at Hunnu Mall Cinema on the March
26. All film screenings will be preceded by
a discussion between a water expert and
a public figure. The Smart Water Project
invites everyone to engage with the issue
of water consumption and the protection of
Mongolias water resources this March.

Morin Khuur Ensemble holds Playing Love-IV concert

Last week, The Arts Council of
Mongolia and the Morin Khuur Ensemble
of the State Philharmonic were proud
to present the Playing Love movie
soundtrack concert at the Corporate
Hotel & Convention Center, an event
made possible by the generous support of
Golomt Bank and ARD Financial Group
This was the fourth installment in the
State Morin Khuur Ensembles highly
popular Playing Love concert series. The
orchestra delighted the audience with a
selection of soundtracks from the best
of Mongolian and International cinema
chosen to highlight the countrys human
history, lifestyle and unique culture.
Mongolians have played the Morin
Khuur for hundreds of years. It is an
integral part of the unique cultural
heritage of the Mongolian people.
Whether used for traditional melodies or
adapted for playing international music,
the Morin Knuurs unique tone adds a
special sentiment to any performance.
Combining an impeccably beautiful
musical performance with stunning
visuals taken from the selected films,
Playing Love IV fully lived up to its
name.

The Morin Knuurs unique tone adds a special sentiment to any performance

The Colors in silence

exhibit by deaf artists

The ACM and Canadian Embassy chose 11 talented deaf artists and organized a joint exhibition

The Mongolian Arts Council

(ACM) is a non-governmental
organization whose mission is to
support the sustainable development
of Mongolian culture and the
preservation of cultural heritage.
ACM aims to promote artists and
their contribution to personal and
social development of art through the
public presentation of their work.
Last January, ACM announced
an artistic competition for deaf artists
and chose to support 11 talented

deaf artists in partnership with the

Canadian Embassy and received their
artworks.
ACM successfully organized
a joint exhibition The Colors in
silence with 15 of their selected
artworks and exhibited them from
February 25 to March 1 at the Best
art gallery.
The exhibition consisted of
paintings and graphics created by
deaf artists.

Arts Council of Mongolia, Delta Foundation Center, IV floor, Tourists Street-38, Chingeltei District Tel/Fax: 976-11-319015 E-mail: education@artscouncil.mn Web: www.artscouncil.mn
The Mongol Messenger is operated by the government news agency MONTSAME and is printed by the MONTSAME. Web Page: en.montsame.mn E-mail: mongolmessenger@yahoo.com (ISSN 1684-1883)