Shubbak Architecture Event, Contemporary Arab Culture Exhibition, RIBA News, Design

Shubbak Architecture Events

Architecture Talks + Exhibition at Royal Institute of British Architects in London, England : Information

10 Jul 2011

Shubbak Exhibition + Events

RIBA And Nous Present Arab Architecture Strand Of Shubbak The Mayor Of Londons Festival Of Contemporary Arab Culture

Exhibition from 12 Jul – 24 Sep

Talks 12 + 19 Jul from 18.30

The architecture of the Middle East and North Africa will be the focus of an exciting new series of events this July at the Royal Institute of British Architects, London.

Part of Shubbak: A Window on Contemporary Arab Culture, 4 – 24 Jul, presented by the Mayor of London and sponsored by HSBC, the events are run by Nous in partnership with the RIBA.

Burj Khalifa, Dubai:

photograph from organisers

Shubbak is London’s first ever celebration of contemporary culture from across the Arab world, and will feature more than 70 events in over 30 key cultural venues across the capital, covering visual arts, film, music, theatre, dance, literature, architecture, lectures and discussion. www.london.gov.uk/shubbak

The Nous and RIBA events showcase the best of architecture from the Arab world and provide a platform for debate by leading academics and practitioners. Events include an exhibition and talks on public and civic spaces in the Arab world and the future of architecture in the region.

Participants in the symposiums feature a range of international practice and leading thinkers and regional figures including: Nadim Khattar, Design Director of Austin-Smith:Lord’s new Arts & Culture sector, who leads international projects from the Abu Dhabi studio in the United Arab Emirates, Michel Mossessian, Principal of Mossessian & Partners, award-winning architects of the Musheireb Heart of Doha in Qatar and the Place Lalla Yeddouna in Fez, Morocco, and Aidan Chopra of Google.

The talks are supported by an exhibition featuring photographs and films by renowned architectural photographers Iwan Baan and Charlie Koolhaas and by photographers and photojournalists based in the region, as well as submitted work from architectural practices.

Melissa Woolford, Director of Nous, explains, “We are delighted to be working with the RIBA and the Mayor of London for Shubbak. The events will enable a broad range of leading thinkers, practitioners and artists to reflect on the past, challenge current practices, and ask questions about the future of architecture and development in the Arab world.”

RIBA President Elect Angela Brady said: “Shubbak is a great opportunity to showcase the cultural lives of the Arab world and I am pleased the RIBA will be playing host to these important and timely discussions. National, regional and civic identity is expressed in our collective voices, whether in protest or in song and it is against the backdrop of architecture and public spaces that history and politics takes place.”

Full details of programme of architecture events at the RIBA as part of Shubbak follow here:

Mall of the Emirates Dubai:

photograph from organisers

Shubbak Exhibition

Public Domain: Public and Civic Spaces in the Arab World
Dates: 12 July – 24 September 2011, Opening reception 12 July, 8:30pm
Location: RIBA 2nd Floor Gallery
Sponsored by Austin-Smith:Lord and Demotix

Using material drawn from photojournalists, professional photographers, and architectural practices, the exhibition will provide a journey through the public and civic spaces of the Arab world and showcase daily life in the region. The images and films will feature the places where people meet, socialise, shop, exchange ideas, demonstrate, and celebrate; they will include images from the on-going protests and from everyday life in streets, cafes and markets.

The exhibition will also explore factors shaping public and civic spaces in the region, such as rapid economic change, a focus on public infrastructure in Arab cities, recent political events, and the use of the Internet. Contributors include Iwan Baan and Charlie Koolhaas; photojournalists commissioned by newswire Demotix; photographers and filmmakers from the Arab region; and architecture and urbanism practices.

Shubbak Talk at RIBA Jarvis Hall

Public Domain: Public & Civic Spaces in the Arab World
Date & Time: 12 July 2011, 6:30-8:30pm
Location: RIBA Jarvis Hall
Followed by the opening reception of the Public Domain: Public and Civic Spaces Exhibition

From the new metro system in Dubai, the first urban train network in the Arabian Peninsula, to Tahrir Square, the physical heart and symbol of the revolution in Egypt, public and civic life is becoming an increasingly important part of the dialogue on architecture and development in the Arab world. In this talk, leading architects, academics and journalists will share their insights on public and civic spaces in the region and how the use and design of these spaces are changing.

– Moderator: Edwin Heathcote, Architecture and Design Critic, Financial Times

Speakers:
– Shahira H. Fahmy, Principal, Shahira H. Fahmy Architects
– Murray Fraser, Professor of Architecture and Global Culture, Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London
– Nadim Khattar, Design Director, Austin-Smith:Lord Arts & Culture
– Bernard Khoury, Principal, DW5/Bernard Khoury
– Michel Mossessian, Principal, Mossessian & Partners
– Turi Munthe, CEO, Demotix

Shubbak Talk – 19 July 2011

Forward Thinking: Discussions on the Future of Architecture in the Arab World
Date & Time: 19 July 2011, 6:30-8:30pm, reception to follow
Location: RIBA Jarvis Hall

Throughout the next 20 years, many of the housing projects, souks, hotels, office buildings, planned cities, and cultural centres in the Arab world will be completed. As the region continues to shift both economically and politically, what will the discussions around architecture in the region be?

This talk brings together a broad group of experts to discuss the questions we may be asking in the coming months and years. Topics will include the development of new technologies and materials, how the Internet could shape physical and virtual spaces, and the pursuit of Arab identity in architecture.

– Moderator: Tim Makower, Partner, Allies and Morrison Architects and Co-Chair of Architecture and Urban Design, Qatar University

Speakers:
– Ahmed Al-Ali and Farid Esmaeil, Principals, X-Architects
– Aidan Chopra, Google
– Salmaan Craig, Foster + Partners
– Ahmad Humeid, CEO, Syntax Digital
– Peter Oborn, Deputy Chairman, Aedas Architects
– Dr Aylin Orbasli, Programme Leader, MA International Architectural Regeneration and Development, Oxford Brookes University

For more information and booking, please visit www.nouscollaborative.com or www.architecture.com and www.london.gov.uk/shubbak.

Shubbak London – Architecture Events : Background Information

Shubbak: A Window on Contemporary Arab Culture. Presented by the Mayor of London.

London’s first ever celebration of contemporary culture from across the Arab world, Shubbak will feature more than 70 events in over 30 key cultural venues across the capital, covering visual arts, film, music, theatre, dance, literature, architecture, lectures and discussion.

Presenting organisations include: Arab British Centre, Arab New Trends, Arts Canteen, Barbican Centre, The British Museum, Brunel Institute of Contemporary Middle-Eastern Music, Cadogan Hall, Café Oto, Dash Arts, Delfina Foundation, English Chamber Orchestra, Foyles Bookshop, Freeword, Gate Cinema, ICA, The Idler, iniva, Land in Focus, Leighton House Museum, LIFT, London Review of Books, London Walks, MICA Gallery, The Mosaic Rooms, Museum of London, Musicstage Promotions, Nous, Poet in the City, The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, Resonance FM, Rich Mix, Royal Institute of British Architects, Sadler’s Wells, Saqi Books, Scoop at MORE London, Selma Feriani Gallery, Serpentine Gallery, Six Pillars, SOAS, Sotheby’s, Southbank Centre, Tate Modern, V&A, Young Vic, Westfield Shopping Centre, Zenith Foundation

www.london.gov.uk/shubbak

Nous Collaborative

Nous is a London-based architecture gallery, consultancy and collaborative. Our aim is to provide a platform for established and emerging architects, pursue the most compelling issues and research affecting architectural practice, promote cultural integration, and facilitate collaborations between architects, designers and businesses. Established in 2007, Nous has completed 12 exhibitions around the world and in 2010 launched an annual conference series examining the political and economic context of architecture. www.nouscollaborative.com

Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)

The RIBA champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members.

Austin-Smith:Lord

Austin-Smith:Lord Arts & Culture is a new sector of the award-winning architectural practice. Since 2006 they have been involved in designing, researching and developing, a cultural quarter in the UAE intended to celebrate national and regional Arts and Culture.

Demotix

Demotix is a multi-award-winning global newswire. With over 4000 active photo and video journalists in 190 countries around the world, Demotix’s images have appeared on the front pages of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Guardian and elsewhere, and in print, broadcast and online media all over the globe.

With an archive of over 400,000 news images, one of the largest networks of photojournalists, and a monthly growth rate of 25,000 images, Demotix has been called “Journalism for the 21st Century” by the Daily Telegraph, and TechCrunch has reported that “Demotix [is] reinventing the newswire”. Demotix has been covered by all major news organisations since launch in January 2009. In March 2011, Demotix signed a global distribution deal with Corbis – one of the largest image libraries in the world. www.demotix.com