Bank Street
Part 4 of the photo tour of Sharjah Biennial 11: Re:emerge. Towards a New Cultural Cartography, 13 March - 13 May 2013. Curator: Yuko Hasegawa. More than 100 participants.
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Desert of Pharan/Room with a View. 2011-13
Video installation and photographs
(From the Real to the Symbolic City; Urban Renovation; Abraaj al Bait Towers (Detail); The Courtyard of Paradise; Golden Hour; HVAC Unit Tower; Artificial Light/Desert of Pharan; Nature Morte; $3000/Night Room)
Desert of Pharan is an ongoing project by Ahmed Mater that documents the rapid development of Islam’s holiest city, and takes its title from the ancient name of the region surrounding Makkah. This second chapter, Desert of Pharan/Room with a View, focuses on the tension between public and private space in Islamic cities. While Makkah is home to more than a million residents, it is being transformed to cater to the needs of millions more pilgrims and tourists. This work asks: Is public space in the Islamic city becoming a luxury item? Is the courtyard becoming a commercial fiction?
See also:
Ahmed Mater: Desert of Pharan
Article in: Nafas Art Magazine, 2013
© Photo: Haupt & Binder
© Text: SB11 Guidebook
Part 4 of the photo tour of Sharjah Biennial 11: Re:emerge. Towards a New Cultural Cartography, 13 March - 13 May 2013. Curator: Yuko Hasegawa. More than 100 participants.