A new exhibition introducing Syrian culture and tradition shows the correlation between nature and architecture, and how it influences cultural heritage.
Structures of Impermanence at Warehouse421 is the project of artist and architect Talin Hazbar, and centres on the use of the bah-rah, or water fountain, in traditional Syrian architecture.
But more than the structure itself, the bah-rah has become a symbol of social interaction in Syrian culture and communities.
The installation shows the connection between a structure and rituals that emerge around it as shaped by social, cultural and religious traditions.
The exhibition features four fountain quarters spread throughout the space.
Visitors will get to experience each fountain separately and collectively, establishing their connection to the surroundings in general.
“The bah-rah will be recognizable to audiences as a customary expression of the traditional Syrian home, yet the opportunity to understand its social and cultural situation presents an intriguing opportunity,” said Faisal Al Hassa, manager of Warehouse421
“Its status as an object that is both strikingly immovable and at the same time incessantly fluid presents a dichotomy that is fascinating for those interested in regional architectural design.”
Talin Hazbar said about her upcoming exhibition: “The opportunity to study the bah-rah raises a set of questions about Syrian social, cultural and religious identity, and helps us to examine these concepts, not through texts or writings from the time, but through an object which was common-place in Syrian homes.
“Through such a process of examining both the object itself and researching its past, it is pertinent to understand how this impacts our modern life in the Middle East.
“Architecture is an aspect of modern life that is continually ubiquitous, so understanding how people create and interact with their surroundings is a useful insight into their views of the time.
“I hope that audiences engaging with this work will reflect on what objects in their modern-day life are analogous to that of the bah-rah.”
The free exhibition will run until 29th December.
Visit: warehouse421.ae
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