FUNN, a Sharjah-based organisation that promotes media arts learning among children and youth, has united passionate anime enthusiasts across Sharjah and the UAE with the opening of SHASHAH 2022, a fun extravaganza celebrating the international pop culture phenomenon at Aljada, Sharjah.

Running until Sunday, March 13, from 4pm to 10pm,SHASHAH 2022 opened to great fanfare yesterday (Friday) as the anime community dived into an exciting range of activities including interactive workshops, film screenings, panel discussions, music performances, competitions, and more.

Commenting on the debut of SHASHA 2022, Sheikha Jawaher Bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, Director of FUNN, said that the three-day event celebrating the visually diverse art form takes forward FUNN’s vision to promote and help nurture young talents and develop their capabilities in all forms of media arts.

The Director of FUNN said: “SHASHAH represents the totality of media arts that appear on screen, be it in the medium of photography, cinema, or animation. Whether these are absorbed via television, computers, the cinema, or a mobile gadget, they all fall under the broad framework of arts.”

Sheikha Jawaher Bint Abdullah Al Qasimi added: “This is FUNN’s first event focused exclusively on anime art, and we chose a name that embodies all aspects of this unique art form. SHASHAH thus explores the divergent art styles of anime with an array of artists and creators who will lead our children and youth into its deep and expressive world.

SHASHAH is a wonderful platform for all arts enthusiasts to expand their creativity and imagination through our wide range of educational workshops, films, music performances, and competitions that explore the rich and fantastic universe of anime.”

Master a range of anime skills

Young children of diverse age groups experienced the joy of learning the Japanese art of origami at a workshop led by Sahar Abdalla, a visual artist animator and art director, who introduced children to the unique art of ‘folding paper’.

Following the step-by-step instructions, children learnt to make a sailboat – an object of discovery and travel in all cultures – using a square, solid colour origami paper with just five easy folds. Crafting a whale without glue required more steps and included the addition of details like the flippers and a slit tail. The participants then decorated the paper whale with eyes and mouth. The marine theme continued with a more complex origami turtle session for young teens.

Commenting on the workshop, Sahar Abdulla, said: “Young children gain valuable skills by learning to fold flat square sheets of paper and shape them into unique figures. While it improves eye-hand coordination, the craft of origami also teaches the values of patience and perseverance and calls for great attention to detail. By seeing how a plain sheet of paper is transformed into innovative shapes, it teaches children to learn to see the bigger picture.”

On the opening day of SHASHAH, children and youth were also introduced to the art of ‘2D Anime Sketching’ where they explored the art of sketching anime portraits, while in the ‘Creating Visual Novels’ session, participants learnt the techniques of adding visual appeal and interactivity to novels.

The ‘Colouring Manga & Anime’ session equipped young anime enthusiasts with the aesthetic skills of colouring manga characters while in the fun-filled ‘Introduction to the Chibi Style’ workshop, participants were guided on the basics of drawing adorable anime characters with large heads and small bodies.

Enthralling cinematic journey

Relaxing on comfortable green and purple bean bags in the serene surroundings of Aljada, families and children gathered to watch Kôbun Shizuno’s ‘The Journey’, produced by Manga Productions in Saudi Arabia. The movie, based on an epic tale drawn from the Arabian Peninsula and set 1,500 years ago, stole hearts on the opening day of SHASHAH.

The compelling narrative featuring the distinctive anime animation look, details the story of a simple potter named Aus who takes up arms against a ruthless invader threatening to enslave the people of Mecca.