The Slow-Motion Feelings Workshop at the 12 th Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival is packed with
eager children ready to explore the limits of their curiosity and learn how dropping a toy in all-purpose
flour or a lemon in water can be digitally manipulated into a delightful slow-motion video through the
art of photography.
Divided into small groups of two and three, kids at the bilingual workshop are encouraged to work
together to choose an object from a variety of props and decide what they would like to do with it.
After the activity has been photographed and turned into a video by the workshop presenter, children
are awe-inspired to watch the way the bright yellow duck falls in the flour bowl creating a slow
powdery blow-out, and the lemon gracefully displacing the water in the transparent glass bowl.
The expression on the children’s faces is also worth capturing.
“Each time, the children get curious to see what will happen,” says Sara Mezher, filmmaker and
creative workshop facilitator. “The workshop helps develop their imagination and also their skills of
communication, as they learn how to express themselves. I ask them to try and describe what they
imagine so I can help translate the thought into visuals,” she adds.
Between the fact that the session gives kids the opportunity to interact with their peers in a safe,
regulated environment after more than a year of Covid-19 restrictions, and, that they are allowed to
create a decent size mess during the session, the workshop helps children gain confidence to explore
their ideas and learn a thing or two about both digital photography, editing and video production.
Several creative workshops related to Art, Science, Writing, Robotics and more are taking place at the
11-day Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival which runs until May 29 at Expo Centre Sharjah.
172 publishers from 15 countries across the globe are showcasing their books and literary material at
the event themed ‘For Your Imagination’.