9.9.08

Museum of Modern Arab Art by Rafael Vinoly

What's that you see in the distance? A giant dune?




No way... Impossible! But wait, is that glass?



Why but ofcourse, how typical. This large sand dune is actually Qatar's new museum for Modern Arab Art. Not only will it house 10,000 articles from the collection of Sheikh Hassan Bin Mohammed Al-Thani, but also art from contemporary arabic artists. There is a library, landscape gardens, terraces and massive gallery voids. But could we honestly call this innovative architecture? This is an imitation of a sand dune, a really massive sand dune. I appreciate the fact that unlike other architects who create buildings that look alien to our environment (i.e. Zaha Hadid!) this blends in nicely but only from a distance. As you get closer the building looks fake and typical, there is no abstract expression at all.


I am so pleased that we (arabs) are finally perserving our culture and art, however I diagree with this New York based firm. This truely feels like a missed oppertunity as this building could have had such an amazing experience. It could have been a treasure under a pile of sand. However, it's just a building that looks like a sand dune that holds arabic modern art.

1 comment:

Bass said...

But it literally is a treasure under a pile of sand. I think its special, its a new concept, and it blends in perfectly. It actually kind of looks like a james bond villain's headquarters.