Dubai: Noora Mohammad Al Kaabi, Minister of Cultural and Knowledge Development, on Thursday opened the Lifescapes Beyond Bigness exhibition at the National Pavilion UAE participating in the 16th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale.
Lifescapes Beyond Bigness highlights the interplay between the urban environment and everyday social life in the UAE through images, technical drawings, case studies, maps and three-dimensional scale models.
Al Kaabi said: “In the Year of Zayed, Lifescapes Beyond Bigness reflects Shaikh Zayed’s belief that social needs and human happiness should be at the heart of urban development. The exhibition celebrates the diverse and vibrant communities that make up our nation. The success of the National Pavilion UAE over the years is a testament to the rich cultural heritage and discourse that has developed in the UAE, and the Venice Biennale offers us a prominent platform to share these stories with the world.”
Shaikha Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, founder of the Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, commissioner of the National Pavilion UAE, said: “Since our inaugural participation in 2009, the National Pavilion UAE has presented a series of exhibitions that reflect the breadth of the nation’s cultural conversations from historical to contemporary, charting and contributing to the evolving landscape. The 2018 exhibition has produced thorough and lasting research that will become a significant milestone in understanding urbanism in the UAE, while celebrating the humanity and spontaneity of our cities.”
The exhibition’s curator, Dr Khalid Al Awadi, an Emirati architect and urban planner, and assistant professor of sustainable urbanism at Abu Dhabi’s Masdar Institute, said: “Lifescapes Beyond Bigness presents the simplicity of lifescapes in the UAE’s hidden urban pockets. The exhibition looks beyond the monumental scale of our iconic architecture. Instead, we have highlighted the human-scale landscapes of the UAE – places where people come together, from sikkak alleyways) to neighborhoods. These are lively, rich spaces where cities come alive and the exhibition reflects this important angle of life in the UAE.”
Al Awadi and his research team have used various spatial mapping and observation techniques to document and analyse the physical characteristics, morphology and social rhythm of four urban typologies: residential neighborhoods, networks of streets and sikkak (alleyways), urban blocks and natural landscapes. Case studies and detailed personal stories offer insight into the anthropology of each research site.
The Venice Biennale is one of the world’s most significant cultural events, and this year’s edition presents architectural exhibitions from over 60 nations and runs from May 26 till November 25.
