Every year, the Abwab exhibition space is remodelled in the heart of d3, responding to new design schemes and generating different creative outlooks. An Arabic word meaning ‘doors’, Abwab is designed to provide direct access to design in the region, offering a showcase for 5 communities in the Middle East: this year, it features Amman, Beirut, Dubai (supported by Tashkeel), Eastern Provinces of Saudi Arabia (supported by Ithra) and Kuwait City. Two designers from each location are invited to exhibit works on the ‘Between the Lines’ theme in the dedicated pavilions. The architecture exhibition project was overseen by the Architecture + Other Things firm, using natural materials.
Amman – duwar: a series of vignettes displayed in sequence to form a circular succession transporting visitors on multiple journeys with overlaid soundscapes.
Beirut – Beirut Fillers: using language as material, the oral archive provides a fresh perspective on how the city can be experienced, perceived and engaged with.
Dubai – Thulathi: divided by three pockets of time; past, present and future are brought together through investigations of sound, image, and video sourced from archival vaults and personal recordings.
Eastern Provinces of KSA – The Sound of the East Coast: rooted in the pearl diving folklore of the fisherman communities of the Eastern Provinces of Saudi Arabia, the Pavilion experience transports visitors through the meditative qualities of the songs.
Kuwait City – Desert Cast: an exploration of locally available materials and fabrication methods of gypsum-moulding and sand-casting with foam, to reach a local ‘maker’ identity.
