dubai next face of 21st century culture - at the vitra museum ...........................................................................................................................................................................


dubai next
face of 21st century culture
vitra design museum (fire station), weil am rhein, germany
from: june 5 - september 14, 2008,
curated by rem koolhaas & jack persekian
http://www.design-museum.de



rem koolhaas at the exhibition dubai next - image © designboom

the exhibition 'dubai next - face of 21st century culture' was conceived in collaboration with and on behalf of the
dubai culture & arts authority and curated by rem koolhaas and jack persekian. the dubai culture & arts authority
was created in recent months with the goal of developing dubai into a centre of international and regional culture
over the next eight years. to articulate the openness of this approach from the very beginning, the new cultural
administration commissioned artists from dubai and other countries to sketch out a contemporary profile of the city,
dutch architect rem koolhaas and palestinian curator jack persekian took overall charge of the project.
'dubai next' is the first project being developed within the framework of the dubai culture & arts authority.

'dubai next' tells the story of dubai from a cultural angle. it shows the dynamism with which dubai is evolving and
taking shape over the next decades in architectural, urbanistic and cultural projects. everyone knows the
architectural landmarks of dubai, but this new global city’s true achievement and future promise soars well
beyond its dynamic growth and spectacular buildings.

dubai is first and foremost about its people – a vibrant, multicultural and cosmopolitan community made up
of over 200 different nationalities. these people are the driving forces behind the widely published new
forms of design, culture, communication and lifestyle that shape dubai today. nowhere else in the world is
the radical transformation of what people think of nationalities, heritage and culture more evident than in dubai.



'dubia bubbles' by reineke otten - image © designboom

one of the installations at the exhibition 'dubai bubbles' is a large composition of photos taken by charlie koolhaas.
the snapshots provide a sneak peak at the inner core of life in the city.


'dubia bubbles' by reineke otten



'dubia bubbles' by reineke otten



'dubia bubbles' by charlie koolhaas



image © designboom

another of the montage style installations at the exhibition features printed public street ads from dubai and quotes
from its various inhabitants. all have a 'microsoft wordart' look to them and include phrases such as...


details...









image © designboom



a visitor thumbs-though the installation 'shop spaces' by charlie koolhaas

more images from the city were printed on large fabric sheets that visitors could thumb-through.



image © designboom



photography by charlie koolhaas



image © designboom

a large black-and-white map of dubai was covered in trivial information about locations in the city.
resident's thoughts, statistsics etc. gave insight to specific areas.



details...













architectural models for projects by rem koolhaas and zaha hadid were also on show:



proposal for temporary art gallery and theatre by rem koolhaas - image © designboom



proposal for temporary art gallery and theatre by rem koolhaas - image © designboom



proposal for temporary art gallery and theatre by rem koolhaas - image © designboom



architectural model of the 'dubai opera house' by zaha hadid and patrik schumacher - image © designboom

'the only opera house in the entire middle east', dubai opera house is set on its own creek in the seven pearls
district of the architecture hotbed that is dubai. the landmark will encompass an auditorium with room for
2,500 people, a 5000m2 art gallery, an 800-seat playhouse, a performing arts school and a hotel.
more information on this project


architectural model of the 'dubai opera house' by zaha hadid and patrik schumacher - image © designboom



architectural model of the 'dubai opera house' by zaha hadid and patrik schumacher - image © designboom



architectural model of the 'dubai opera house' by zaha hadid and patrik schumacher - image © designboom

over the past decade a nascent in film making has developed in the UAE, spearheaded by homegrown initiatives
such as the emirates film competition and gulf film festival. groups of young emirati men and women have produced
a substantial body of short films, many of which explore the nature of being local - a selection of which were shown
at the 'dubai next exhibition'.


still from 'autobiography' by ebtisam abdulaziz

'autobiography' by ebtisam abdulaziz
in this performance the artist reduced her 'autobiography' to a set of codes and numbers worn as a suit ,
wandering the shopping malls, back streets of the UAE. according to the artist the piece is a cynical critique of
the consumerist societies - signifying the transformation of a human into code or a set of numbers.


still from 'autobiography' by ebtisam abdulaziz



'd-series' by tarek al ghoussein - image © designboom

the 'd-series' by tarek al ghoussein are images that explore the relationship between the subject and space,
particularly the relationship between the solitary figure and the temporary boundries that define a 'place'.


'd-series' by tarek al ghoussein



'd-series' by tarek al ghoussein



'd-series' by tarek al ghoussein



'd-series' by tarek al ghoussein



'd-series' by tarek al ghoussein


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'dubai next' face of 21st century culture press conference
the planned garden party for the opening of 'dubai next' was moved indoors due to bad weather, but it didn't
dampen the spirits of all those invited, as rem koolhaas & jack persekian along with members of the
dubai culture & arts authority explained different aspects of the show.


rem koolhaas speeking at the press conference - image © designboom



rem koolhaas introduces the exhibition 'dubai next' - video © designboom




rem koolhaas and michael schindhelm (dubai culture & arts authority) talk about
koolhaas' 'gallery' project and the developing culture in dubai.
video © designboom



rem koolhaas - portrait © designboom



jack persekian - portrait © designboom



dr omar bin sulaiman (finance director of the dubai culture and arts authority) - portrait © designboom



press - image © designboom


initially the opening /press conference was to be held in the vitra design museum's garden - image © designboom


bad weather meant that parts of the set-up had to be shifted indoors at the last minute - image © designboom




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more


see the designboom article: the future in dubai
a pictorial guide of about 60 new buildings in the united arab emirates.









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