Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The YONAR international festival of experimental art and creative tourism has been held on the territory of the Borsakelmas salt flat in the Kungrad district of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan's Tourism Committee said.
The festival was organised by the Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan together with the Stikhiya festival of electronic music, art and science. The event took place about 200 kilometres from Nukus and brought together contemporary art, creativity, creative industries and tourism.
The main aim of YONAR was to present Karakalpakstan's natural landscapes, atmosphere and tourism potential to an international audience through contemporary art, as well as to create new creative tourism products.
Seventy foreign and local participants took part in the festival. They created seven art installations integrated into the region's natural landscape. Among the works presented were "Molecule", "Android", "Mirror Cube", "Scarlet Parallelepiped", "Scorpion", "Double UFO" and "Scarlet Mars".
Festival participants stayed in traditional yurts, and electricity was provided by generators. There was no trading on the festival site. Conditions for accommodation and creative work were created on the basis of collective interaction and mutual assistance.
At the end of the festival, one of the installations was symbolically burned. After the event ended, participants completely cleaned the camp territory, observing environmental principles and demonstrating a careful attitude towards the natural environment.
Holding YONAR on the territory of the Borsakelmas salt flat is aimed at developing cultural, creative and ecological tourism in Karakalpakstan, promoting the region's tourism potential to an international audience and expanding interaction between contemporary art and the tourism sector.
