Movies on a Roof-top...

It was a cinematic night. It was a magical night. It was a Cinemagical night...

Located above an electronics store on SAM Street in Salmiya, the Cinemagic roof-top screen - which is reached through a discreet, cramped elevator squeezed between a stairwell and small kiosk/ bakala, from which an external, somewhat precariously cantilevering, steel gangplank is transcended before one enters the main elevated space - certainly provides a delightful sight for any (culturally deprived) sore eyes. Beyond the fact that the set-up is superb, with surprisingly comfortable seating, free drinks and popcorn, a great screen and sound system, the choice of, somewhat subversive, unadulterated and unaltered movies are what provide the most inspiring and stimulating justification for a visit (and the follow up re-visits)... This was my first sojourn to the outside screen (I had the privilege to be invited by friends to Cinemagics luxurious screening-room the week before) and it turned out to be a true revelation. Having arrived with no preconceptions, the experience of watching a Swedish vampire movie (Let the Right One In) turned out, even for someone who's first choice usually doesn't involve horror flicks, to be a sublime experience (and I didn't even need to bother with the subtitles)...

This is what Kuwait has been deprived of, what it craves, what it needs more of... What is the contemporary rendition of Kuwaiti experimental music, dance, opera, fashion, photography, art, architecture, design..?! What are the cultural elements that will be defining the identity of tomorrow's Kuwait..? Allowing oneself to be exposed to such ideas, arts and thoughts from elsewhere are, surprisingly enough, amongst the most effective ways to come to grips with ones own role and character, ones own uniqueness... Having the opportunity to experience the variety and richness of different types of notions and thought patterns which digress from the social and cultural patterns one is used to, is amongst the most catalytic means for advancing the related disciplines at home.

What Cinemagic offers needs to be given a celebratory whisper and covert pat on the back, as what it provides is currently peerless, but also fragile and something that might easily be shattered. Let's quietly scream its praises until, hopefully in the not too distant future, what it has come to represent can be shouted about off the roof-tops of Salmiya and elsewhere...

An adjacent building under construction...

Designer Blotches - Exploring Censorship in Kuwait...

I teach a class in Contemporary Art & Thought at the Art & Design Department of Kuwait University. This term the class is solely attended by final year students in Graphic Design, although the department also offers a degree in Interior Design. Our first project this term dealt with censorship, a somewhat difficult and sensitive subject matter particularly here in Kuwait. The project was initially catalysed by a apparent inconsistency observed in the censoring of various magazines at a local mall's news stand, where the censoring of the various body parts depicted on the magazine covers varied from one publication to another (for an earlier blog entry discussing these please click here). It was also partly triggered by the, call it, crudeness of the current method of blocking any potentially objectionable sections of an image, which usually involves using thick, black ink daub or marker streak to blotch out the sensitive body parts, unwanted beverages, or other, in Kuwait, unsuitable element.

Title image and above - Customized 'blotches' by Muneera Al-Qinaie

The criteria for the project were stipulated in the following fashion...

The students could:

A)

Aim, through their work, to question and reset where the threshold between acceptable and unacceptable lies. In other words, through reasoning and logic establish a justification for why a revision of the current methods of censorship is called for and, even through changed, won't necessarily contradict any of the sensitivities or do harm to the general population to whom their work will be exposed. Establish an updated and empirical rationale and method for how the aims of censorship could be amended and achieved...

B)

Accept and understand the current rules, but try to find an alternative means to achieve them. In other words, the student should consent to the current degree of censorship, but try to 'design their way' around it without necessarily compromising the original aims. Establish a more 'eloquent' and 'designed' way to achieve the same objectives the censurer currently does mostly by blotching and blurring...

C)

A bit of both A) and B)...

Noura Al-Omar's intentionally mixed messages that consequently aim to neutralize some of the more provoking aspects of the image...

The related issues were discussed and debated in class, with all the students present, as well as pondered over during one-to-one or one-to-two tutorials, which allowed for a more individual and bespoke scrutinization of the projects...

Above and below are a few examples of the results (comments and feedback much welcomed)...

Aysha Al-Houli's folded image. Provides the reader with the option of either leaving the image as is, or unfolding the photo to reveal the image in its unaltered state...

Above and below - the 'peel off' designer blotch, by Maha Barakat. Allows the user to either peel off, or leave be the thematically reflective sticker...

The act of peeling off the censoring sticker entails its own subtle coreography...

The 'Rope Blotch', by Bibi Al-Wazzan which, like the example above, provides a choice for the reader to either reveal or not reveal the image, and turns the act of 'revelation' into a mini-performance in its own right...

Above and below - various 'before & after' examples of thematic switches by Dana Mohsen Al-Edwah. Camouflage above...

A selective Switch...

An anthropomorphic censoring...

Selective distortion...

Blanket branding as a means to censor, by Hessa Shams Al-Deen...

Above and below - a 'designer blur' and shadow by Ghadeer Al-Awadhi...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A brief reminder of how magazines are currently censored (left - T3 Magazine, right - source unknown)...

SAM St. (Salem Al-Mubarak Street) - Initial Analysis & Proposals...

A birdseye view of SAM St. (core image sourced from Google Earth)...

This submission was initially posed on the smArchitecture blog, but as it has a direct bearing on Kuwait I thought it would also be appropriate to include here...

In collaboration with the members of the re:kuwait blog (architects Barrak Al-Babtain, Jasem Nadoum and Amenah Benjasem) as well as architect Aisha Al-Sager, I've been exploring the idea of pedestrianizing and revitalizing Salem Al-Mubarak Street (SAM St.) in Salmiya. The focus here is on the commercial stretch of the street, between the Fourth Ring Road and the Al-Salam Complex (the cylindrical, now former, residential building at its western end; more pictures of this in a future post). The collaboration began after much 'tooing-and frowing' between the parties various blogs, where we all were lamenting about the various urban, with a particular focus on the ambulatory, shortcomings of Kuwait in comparison to other, even regional, locations. These virtual communiques eventually turned into an actual meeting between the above mentioned individuals at a local coffee-shop, where a number of options were discussed for what and how something could be done to improve the situation. We eventually decided to focus on Salem Al-Mubarak street, which seemed to have the right 'bones' (foundations) to develop into a pedestrianized area. The ultimate aim is to do a, or a set of, short videos and perhaps a publication dealing with various aspects of urbanism in Kuwait.

Below are some of the initial musings (slides from the lecture), introduced for the first time at Wednesday's presentation at DAI (thanks everyone for coming, it was fun!). They were here used in conjunction (as a linked design to) the Kuwait School Manifesto's maxim number eight, which suggests that Kuwait could/ should be developed as the Design Capital of the Middle-East, something that's not too far fetched as, in comparison to Kuwait's neighbours which all have well developed plans to enhance their cultural standings but which none, however, have laid a particular emphasis on design, opening up a potential niche for how Kuwait could distinguish itself. As Kuwait already has a skilled craft-based workforce this should be something that is already implementable, all it will require is a set of dedicated designers (be these designers of products, furniture, buildings or cities) and a sustained doze of faith and perseverance. The SAM Street proposal could be the first physical manifestation of such aspirations.

If needed, please 'click' on the images to enlarge them...


Existing

A brief analysis of some of the existing features and conditions which apply to SAM Street.


Features/ Elements...


The landmark Al-Salam Complex at the western end of SAM St., currently being demolished...

A stretch of three storey office buildings, are also in the process of being demolished...

The street has an extended row of, seemingly self-sustaining, shade providing (at least three decades old) trees, stretching all along its commercial fronts...

SAM St. also retains a well proportioned set of mixed-use residential buildings, with retail premises on the ground level and residential units above...

There are a number of, somewhat unfortunate, developments being erected adjacent to the street...

Panorama view of the street's western stretch...

A cross-section taken of SAM Street's eastern, a bit narrower, end...

Plans...

The vehicular areas of SAM Street...

The sidewalks of SAM Street (note how much more pedestrianized areas there is in comparison to street area allocated for cars - a condition quite unique for Kuwait)...

Car parking on SAM Street (which, in turn, is surprisingly sparse compared to other comparable locales in Kuwait)...

The open areas along and adjacent to SAM Street...

The native (seemingly non-attended) trees along SAM Street...

The main access points to SAM Street...

The traffic routes and directions along SAM Street...

Proposed...


The aim is to pedestrianize the whole commercial/ retail stretch of SAM Street, something that lends itself quite naturally to this street, which, with its mirrored back-to-back u-turns, cannot be used as a vehicular thoroughfare (as can be observed in the image above this one)...

One of the proposals involves putting a university (a design school/ research institution?!) at one end of SAM St. as an anchor tenant. This is not too much of a stretch as there has already been proposals to provide a number of additional state universities to Kuwait, and it would be a dynamic way to breathe new life into this part of town.

Another appropriate (quasi) anchor tenant would be to provide dormitories and residential units at the other (eastern) end of the stretch. This would create a natural circulation for the area...

The stretch between the two nodes would be filled with more communal elements - various cultural (galleries, theatres, film screens...), dining (restaurants, coffee-shops...) and retail (with emphasis one more unique and individual 'speciality' stores)...

As a collective, the institutes of higher learning and in combination with the communal open and public areas, the neighbourhood would hopefully develop into a creative hub for the city...

Eventually it would be great to (gradually) expand the pedestrianized areas and link them to some of the other key nodes in Salmiya, such as the beach, Marina Mall (less than a 5 minute walk away) and the remains of the western end of Salem Al Mubarak Street (by Al Fanar and Sultan Center), as well as (as noted by re:kuwait) the future Salmiya Park...

The Extraordinary Ordinary - Debris & Dirt...

Shrouded stone man sitting...

It's amazing how much exposed rubbish there is in Kuwait..! Take any short walk along any residential street, or peek into the backyard of any public or commercial building, and you're next to certain to find a pile or two of junk. Exposed refuse and litter seems to be the norm rather than the exception here in Kuwait. At least in part this must be due to the car culture in Kuwait, as through the car window such 'details' are reduced to a street-side blur that are easy to ignore (click here for a related earlier post). Excessive sterility can of course be equally calamitous, as a bit of grime, it can be argued, adds 'character' to a streetscape - dirt deepens the shadows of a city's nooks & crannies (assigns them with a role) and provides a bit of subversive variability to an urban vernacular. There is, however, a limit...

Curtains and leaves...

There is a somewhat blurred threshold beyond which the aforementioned 'character' becomes a sign of apathy. Exposed trash reveals the degree to which a city's inhabitants care for their city and environment. Look in between the city's malls and skyscrapers and its true disposition and temperament is revealed. What do the streets, sidewalks, parking lots, public squares (or lack of such) tell you about your city..?

Rope calligraphy...

The included photos were taken at various locales around Kuwait City. They simultaneously expose and celebrate two seemingly contradictory aspects and qualities of urban living - the way anything and everything, even in a 'modern' city, is inevitably whittled down by entropy, and that, in moderation, grime can be good, seductive, wanted...

Dots and two pigeons...

Footprints in concrete (walking towards)...

Abandoned shoes...

Wrinkly sidewalk curb...

A headless camel...

It used to be a building...

Two types of wire-mesh...

A Brief Comparison/ Initial Impressions – Kuwait City vs. Main Beach, Queensland, Australia...

The short, roughly 20 second, video above was taken last week in Main Beach in Queensland, Australia. It shows the surprisingly varied pot-pourri of residential buildings in the area, where single storey houses are crouching next to a scattering of twenty storey towers (that all have been named according to various holiday resorts around the world – Miami Tower, the Maldives, etc.), all which, in turn, seem to be squeezed inland by the adjacent beach-side sand swells – a situation not that dissimilar from Kuwait. However, when studied at a more detailed level, the streetscape in Main Beach does contain a number of advantages to comparable areas in Kuwait, as here each street is flanked by a roughly 1 meter wide, clean and uncluttered, footpath, which runs along a single, non-protruding, row of parked cars. Each high-rise has its own, usually underground, car park and it's quite clear that in Main Beach the pedestrian (bicyclist, skateboarder, jogger, etc.) is the protagonist of the ambulatory realm. This point is further emphasized by the fact that the closest more substantial vehicular thruway is a significant distance away from the beach, resulting in the perceptually enhanced condition where one can actually hear, smell and feel the neighbouring sea from even a decent stretch away from its crashing waves...

View over Main Beach, Queensland...

If there were any 'issues' with Main Beach it would be its somewhat, almost bucolic, air of blandness that seems to permeate its streets, particularly now during the off-season (it's still Spring in Australia). There really isn't that much to do, see or notice whilst walking around – it's a rather sterile ambiance which is partly amplified by the more recently completed residential towers, which clearly haven't, as of yet, comfortably 'rooted' themselves into the local vernacular, where their abutting trunks sit somewhat awkwardly next to some of the older, mostly one and two floor, residences. It's going to be interesting to see how this juxtaposition of scales and densities will play out over the coming decades...

A not too generous, but sufficient, footpath accompanies most residential streets...

Regardless of its arguable shortcomings Main Beach is still on a urban planning level a number of steps ahead of where most of Kuwait currently stands. With a bit more forethought and planning, however, there is no reason for why parts of this city couldn't achieve something comparable to this popular beach resort by the Gold Coast of Australia...

There is a clear juxtaposition between the older low-rise and the more recent high-rises residential projects in Main Beach...

Pedestrians are prioritized in Main Beach...

The Main Beach beach...

Presentation at the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah...

I've been invited to present at the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Kuwait's perhaps most respected and established cultural institution, on November 11, at 7 pm. This is a great honour, and an opportunity to 'push' some of the issues discussed on this as well as some of its fellow blogs (see links below to the right) and just a chance to debate these issues in a 'live' setting with individuals interested in related subject matters...

If you happen to be in the neighborhood why not aim to joins us at the al-Maidan Cultural Center for some spirited discussions and canapes...

Is Kuwait 'Out-Blanding' itself into Irrelevance..?

Two views of 'ordinary' residential streets in 'ordinary' neighbourhoods. Left - Benalmadena in Spain, right - Salwa in Kuwait...

Greeting from Gold Coast in Queensland Australia... (Slight) Apologies for the somewhat harsh title, but that query above arose when arriving in Brisbane late last night, where the first impression of the city (roughly the size of Kuwait City) was how clean and, call it, 'well mannered' (attentive/ conscious) it was in comparison to where my trip originated. It's easy sometimes to forget, to paint over the cracks, in regards to how shoddy and awkward Kuwait is, or can appear, in comparison to other world cities. Being exposed to a place that functions also performs as a reminder about the effort it takes to make something seem effortless.

The heading aims not to be facetious or derisive, but is posed as a genuine question which is partly catalysed by one of the image captions in a recent post (click here for a link to the post - second image under the sub-heading 'Car-less Transport') as well as some of the issues discussed recently in the local press. The former point referring to the somewhat, perhaps narcissistic, tendency of erecting lustrous towers as iconic symbols of achievement, whilst forgetting that it is usually the space in between a city's buildings (the more communal areas) where her accomplishments are eventually judged; the latter being in reference to the impression of late where it seems like Kuwait's neighbouring nations are progressing with leaps and bounds (the Dubai Metro, KAUST) whilst Kuwait seems to be dragging its feet (leaking sewage plants and other stalled infrastructural projects).

There are some very pleasant, working, even inspiring, urban places in Kuwait, but these are unfortunately few and far between. Too many, both commercial and residential, neighbourhoods suffer from a lack of thought and consistent, overall as well as detailed, planning and implementation. Too often their conveniences are prioritized according to the vehicles that occupy their streets rather than the individuals (a city's flesh & blood) who actually use them.

It's strange, but coming the Brisbane made me angry about living and working in Kuwait, a place with so much potential, heart and talent, yet a place which simply hasn't been able to pull itself together to take advantage of its inherent endowments. I'm becoming upset about the lost opportunities of Kuwait City, perhaps it's time you should too - we shouldn't let this city 'out-bland' itself into irrelevance. Let's begin developing the morsels of budding potentials it still has and make them into something unique, something we can be proud of, a city we are not ashamed to introduce to newcomers, a locale where the notion of 'home' transcends beyond the four walls of our dwellings... It's not all bad, very few things seldom are, but actions by all of us who inhabit it need to be taken sooner rather than later... Let's start with small steps, small day to day interventions which aren't too intimidating or difficult to do (walking to the local co-op instead of driving, opening windows during the cooler seasons as an alternative to AC, petition for the empty lot next door to become a neighbourhood garden) and built from there. With a bit of perseverance those grains of actions and interventions will eventually pile up and hopefully result in something more.

Why shouldn't/ can't Kuwait be a place that inspires?

The Extraordinary Ordinary - Straycats...

Paw marks on a car window...

This is the first post from a series of future submissions dealing and exploring various, seemingly mundane and everyday features and occurrences found in Kuwait which, nevertheless, retain an inherent thrill, and enriching and unique quality, that's very specific to Kuwait. This inaugural post includes images of urban stray-cats, which seem to permeate most commercial as well as residential areas in Kuwait. In comparison to stray-cats elsewhere, the felines here seem surprisingly well-kept, well fed, and well behaved, with shiny manes and they have a decidedly relaxed, laissez-faire, attitude to their bipedal compatriots with whom they share the urban vernacular...

Urban Precedents for Kuwait...

Streetscape in Manama, Bahrain... (Photo by Paul Brady)

Some former blog entries (click here and here for examples) provide reasons for why it would be a good idea to implement a more pedestrian friendly and less car dependent set-up in Kuwait. In this submission some suggestions of precedents from various European cities are given for what this might actually involve. Features that could easily be adapted into the local context. The aim here is not only to provide some examples of how to expand the repertoire of what transport (ferries and water-taxis, rickshaws, bicycle lanes, etc.) and public places (streets, squares, neighbourhoods...) might entail, but to hopefully aid in initiating some discussion and thought regarding what the optimal solutions might be, and how to go about realizing them. A summary of some of the main instances are listed below.

Shared Streetscapes

As counter intuitive as it might sound, there are some very successful precedents of areas where pedestrians and vehicles share a space. Some of these have been carefully planned, as in various applied examples found in Holland and elsewhere, other are a bit more organic and ad-hoc, as those found in Rome. They all, however, accept the ambulatory (pedestrian) dimension as a fundamental fact on the ground. Something which is still somewhat lacking in Kuwait.

Above and below - A pedestrian crossing and street in Rome, an ad-hoc pedestrian and driver shared space...

Ferries and Boat Taxis

Kuwait City is wrapped around a bay, which in its shape would lend itself perfectly for sea-faring transport. Yet, as it stands, to my knowledge there isn't a single ferry or boat-taxi service available in Kuwait (beyond the more touristy ferry to Failaka island). Water transport is a fantastic way to get around and, considering the daily 'jam-jarring' on most of the city's traffic arteries, it probably could also be quicker. And what could be better on the way to work than enjoying the sea-breeze whilst savouring a freshly-squeezed orange-juice or a just brewed cup of tea (as is the habit in Izmir, Turkey).

Views from the Izmir water-bus...

A freeloader on the roof...

On a more ambitious note it might be interesting to consider developing an inland canal network for Kuwait, perhaps taking its cues from those done in the UK and Holland a century or two ago. These would not only provide a pleasant and cooling urban intervention, but could also increase the land value of any properties flanking such waterways. They could also provide alternate means for transport of both people and goods as well as a natural way to cool down adjacent areas.

Left - A small (cooling) water channel flanking a main pedestrian path at the Alhambra, Spain. Right - a canal in London's Little Venice...

Car-less Transport

Those usually classified as pedestrians fall, in fact, into a number of sub-groups. These secondary categories, which can be defined according to their travel speed, distinguish those that walk, from the joggers, skaters, roller-bladers, and bicyclist - all viable means for getting around. There are whole cities, such as Copenhagen, which are designed around the use of the bicycle where they, as means of transport, are given priority over cars. New York, London, Singapore are cities which are planned and built around the notion of pedestrian movement.

Split sidewalks in Helsinki, where the pedestrians and bicyclists each have their own, clearly demarcated, lane...

There are alternatives means to the car for getting around. Beyond some of the ways listed above, re-thinking and improving existing means and facilities can make a substantial difference. Updating the buses, the bus-stops, and the logistics of how their routes are organized could make a substantial contribution to resolving the current traffic crisis, or just cleaning up the street level surfaces and paraphernalia would make a big augmentation to how the city would be used and perceived. A modern city's image is about more than its (shiny) towers. The impression it gives, its mien, is made up of the collective assembly of all its various elements - availability, ease and quality of transport, its urban plan, its cleanliness, its safety and reliability of services, the availability and variability of stimulation, are some of the elements that contribute to a city's success...

Regardless of how shiny and bright the towers in the distance might be, the streetscape remains the main venue through which we move within our urban environments. With its potholes, garbage, broken or missing curbs, random street-works, arbitrarily parked cars, the 'facts on the ground' remain somewhat bleak in Kuwait...

The (underground) central bus-station in Helsinki, which forms an extension to a n adjacent public square and linked shopping mall. The buses are accessed through a set of automated gates, somewhat similar to those found in an airport. The bus schedules can be viewed on a large light-board (as seen on the right hand image above), which also tells you to which gate you need to go (image above on the left)...

Lit street signs in Vilnius provide clear and easily noticeable means to orient yourself in the city's, occasionally maze-like, old-town...

A path up to a open town square in Helsinki. Sometimes there is no need to improve what is already there...

Shading and Cooling

There are an abundance of precedents for how the ambient temperature of a place can be improved, most of them realized with some careful contextual planning (laying out routes according to local breezes, planting shading trees, building size and orientation, etc.), but also some semi-passive applications such as having a channel with running water along the curb of a pedestrian path, or even, as can be seen below, covering a whole high-street with large shading canvas to lower the ambient temperature below...

A covered shopping street in Malaga...

Shaded shops in Manama (Photo by Paul Brady)...

Ivy covered courtyard in Izmir...

Tree shaded paths. Left - the steps leading up to the Acropolis (with the architect Greg Lynn in the foreground). Right - the path leading up to the Alhambra.

A tree shaded parking area at the Alhambra...

Small Town Squares

A small town or neighbourhood square should act as an extension of ones private space. It should, in its domesticity, form a 'nook', of sorts, in the urban plan of a neighbourhood which is predominantly designed to perform as an extension of the day to day activities of a city – a place where the children can safely run around whilst still being passively supervised from the neighbouring buildings (a rendition of Jane Jacob's ideal), a place to have a short breather and some time for one self, a place eat ones lunch or have a picnic, or just somewhere to meet up for a chit-chat - that also could have the flexibility to be used for neighbourhood parties, a small concert, or an ad-hoc movie night...

A small neighbourhood square in Vilnius...

Local 'domestic' squares in Benalmadena (Spain), and Bargo (Finland)...

Local Conveniences

For a neighbourhood to function it needs neighbourhood conveniences, quick, evening and late night spots, a small food-stall, coffee-shop and convenience store, a laundry and dry-cleaning, a hair 'saloon' (salon), and perhaps a news-stand and a bakala. Somewhere one can quickly run when in need of a bottle of water or a shaving-kit, without having to use a car to do so.

A neighbourhood shop in Izmir...

A bakala (local shop) in Kuwait...

A kiosk in Helsinki...

The Value of Well Designed Details and their Considered Execution (pride in the everyday)

From the smallest to the largest, all elements in our urban environments need to be thought through regardless of scale. An overall appreciation and quality of life can partly be achieved by applying care and high expectations in the way everyday things are realized. This might entail, for example, that equally high expectations and craft are applied in the realization of a gas-station as to the building of a museum, or the same degree of consideration is given the design of a neighbourhood for diplomats as the extended quarters of the labour-force that serve them. This doesn't necessarily mean such undertakings would results in similar designs, but that the same level of thought and consideration is given, regardless of design brief.

A, very beautifully detailed and accurately realized, soffit at a road-side gas-station in Latvia...

Door-knock at the Alhambra...

Stone paving in Helsinki...

Drawing Workshop at the KU AAD...

I teach a class in Contemporary Art at the Art & Design Department of Kuwait University. Earlier in the week we conducted a drawing workshop with the students. (who are all in their final year of Graphic Design). Strangely enough they've never done anything like this before. The workshop consisted of seven points, which lasted ten minutes each.

The seven drawing points were:

1.
To draw a picture (a portrait of Dorothy Parker) from memory. The students were allowed to observe the photo for one minute, and draw their mnemonic impression for nine minutes...

Two mnemonic interpretations of Dorothy Parker...

2.
To do a 10 second, 30 second, 2 minute and 5 minute drawing of a landscape...

Intense concentration during the 10 second drawing...

3.
Copy an image from Gray's Anatomy (the book, not TV series) using colouring-pencils and another medium of their choice (pastels, crayons, thick markers, water-colours, collage, etc.)...

Two renditions of the same drawing, represented through two different mediums...

4.
Draw their impression/ rendition of a monotonous surface, in this case a framed section of a window-shade...

The students were asked to draw the inside of the, A4 size, taped area...

5.
Attempt to copy an image (a geometrical painting by Malevitch) with their 'wrong' hand, i.e. a right handed person had to use their left hand to do the drawing, and vice-versa...

Drawing with their 'wrong' hand...

6.
Interpret what they felt (through haptic means) into an image. The students inspected (felt up, without peeking!) an object in a bag which they could not see, and drew what they felt...

A student inspecting, interpreting and translating what they're touching into a drawing...

Some of the resulting interpretations of the haptically inspected object...

One of the actual surfaces the students inspected...

7.
Copy an upside-down line drawing. The students drew, as is, an upside-down line portrait (a portrait of the composed Stravinsky by Picasso)...

An example of an upside-down drawing...

Lines of Cleavage – Social & Urban Topographies...

The lines of cleavage crossing the human body, from 'The Tinkerer's Accomplice', by J. Scott Turner.

Human skin is criss-crossed by a meshwork of collagen fibres that indicate the strain lines borne by the epidermis. These lines, called the 'lines of cleavage', provide a map of the skin's tension. Cut across them and, as any plastic surgeon will tell you, the result will be a gaping wound that is slow to heal and will result in severe scarring due to the released strain carried by the fibre. If, by contrast, a cut is made adjacent or in between a set of lines of cleavage, only a minor, easily closed and non-scarring, wound will result.*

In a similar way the topography of a landscape has various 'lines of cleavage' running across its surface, perhaps the largest of these being the tectonic plates that define continents, but features such as canyons, rivers, cliffs, or various congenital conditions (deserts, marshlands, etc.) can also be included as elements of a more graspable scale of these topological and transitional formations. Understanding these before commencing on any form of development or urban intervention is important, as they inevitably will influence and impact any development. Fight these natural formations, and the result will, without fail, be awkward (and difficult and expensive to rectify) – build something that's compatible and harmonious with a landscape's characteristics, and the ensuing design will occupy its site with ease.

A dramatic geographical urban topography in Athens, Greece. The Parthenon can be seen on top of the hill...

But what if human interventions have already managed to 'cut across' these natural lines of cleavage? Within an already densely built urban context some man-made constructs, for better or worse, can also befit this analogy, as key highways, streets, and landmarks (buildings, parks, etc.) can also be used to demarcate a second layer of a city's lines of cleavage. So what could/ should be done with some of these unnatural interventions that have already effectively become the default condition on the ground? How could their 'scarring ways' be amended without necessarily removing them?

Above and below - Photos from Luxembourg, another example of a city that withing its borders contains dramatic topological variations...

There is, of course, also the 'hidden' topographies of a city where the various public and private spaces, patchwork of 'no-go' and 'safe' areas, social and cultural stratum, religious sects, tribes and family clans, etc. determine and inhabit their own urban landscapes. These entwined, normally intuitively taught and understood, matrices of usually hidden layers and partitions exist in every collective where the choreography of the, as the anthropologist Edward T Hall put it, 'Dance of Life' follow the guidances of the 'Silent Language'. These, mostly out of sight, socially prescribed but idiosyncratic, topographies also need to be considered in conjunction with any more grand urban engagement and intervention. Such man made, more psychological, lines of cleavage also define our cities and their tribes...

*More about 'lines of cleavage' can be found in J. Scott Turner's book The Tinkerer's Accomplice – How Design Emerges from Life Itself (2007) Harvard University Press.

Roof Top Paraphernalia...

Yesterday we moved from a flat with very limited views (predominantly blank walls of the opposing buildings) to a top floor apartment with, in my view, splendid panoramic views. On first impression, whilst watching over the neighbouring buildings, it's amazing the amount of stuff people have, store, leave, on their roof tops. The various types of AC units, water tanks, satellite discs, TV-antennas, laundry racks, defunct pigeons, servants quarters, etc. form a micro urbanism (a borrowed, and here somewhat misconstrued, term by Marrikka Trotter) and free-running topography in its own right. Highlights in this paraphernalia-landscape are the 'Eiffel Tower' antenna stands which seemed to have been a rage a few decades back and can still be found on many a roof top, particularly on older houses.

Water tanks and antennas...

Often the roof tops act as the private realm of the domestic labour force...

A view of the Eiffel Tower...

Three amigos...

Roofed water-tank...

Top view of a tent, palm and vine-covered (blooming) pergola...

A recently completed building near by...

Top and below - More antennas and discs...

Kuwaiti Bakalas & Shop Fronts...

A brief addition to the 'Commercial Individuality' post from a few weeks back, which showed examples of individualistic and unique stores found abroad. This entry shows some similar, more individual examples of such stores found in Kuwait, that includes the local version of the corner-store, the bakala, which unfortunately seem to be rapidly disappearing form our neighbourhood streetscapes.

These photos are a brief pictorial ode to ordinary-individuality, a quality closer to something that's recognizable and comforting rather than any notion of blandness. They're examples of generic urban elements, renditions of things that can be found in most cities around the world - the corner-shop, coffee-shop, barber-shop, etc. - but each which also contain something unique and reflective of their particular locale (the products they sell, their size, their smell, their materials, their placement along a street, etc.)...

All of the included photos were taken in Salmiya, Kuwait...

Three images above - examples of bakalas...

A women's shoe store...

A wig & hair product store...

A pet (fish) store...

A Chinese restaurant & take-away...

A local 'saloon', or barber-shop...

Favourite Buildings Visited – The 'Blue Tile' Building, Kuwait...

The following blog entry was originally posted on the smArchitecture blog, but as it deals with a building in Kuwait, I thought it appropriate to also include it here...

Located a block away from the Gulf Road, adjacent to the Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research, with a sea view, and in Kuwait's Salmiya (one of the central shopping hubs) the 'Blue Tile Building' (not the buildings real name) is situated in one of the city's prime spots. This, however, seems to be where this buildings fortunes end, as it currently is in a regrettably derelict state, a mere reflection of its former self, having been stripped of anything of even the remotest value, its interior wall tiles, stone floors, wiring, balustrades and stairwell railings, windows and any more precious carpentry. It still, nonetheless, is an impressive and attractive building with good architectural 'bones' that, particularly when viewed in the context of its two adjacent, still partially inhabited, sibling buildings (which buffer it from the Gulf Road traffic noise and pollution), forms a successful urban composition. Consistent of duplexes and triplexes facing north (the sea) and south, it must have once provided a very decent set of well proportioned and spacious apartments for well to do middle-class living. Unfortunately, particularly in the context of how most of the local population today prefers to live in, even these large flats are probably inadequate and unsuitable to accommodate the needs of the average umpteen-member family (maids & drivers included).

The building's flanking edges are tiled in a blue geometrical pattern...

It's sad that there doesn't seem to be demand for this type of residential living in Kuwait anymore, as the building forms a congruous, softly monumental, memorable and surprisingly non-intrusive, presence in its neighbourhood, full of beautiful detailing (what's left of it) and a clear consideration for its urban context (its allowance for communal space around its premises is seldom present in any of its more contemporary, usually much blander, renditions currently popping up around the city).

The building's, now exposed, interiors form a seductive patchwork of colours and patterns...

Whilst ruins have their own inherent beauty, this, and its fellow architectural artefacts found in Kuwait, should be respected and restored instead of demolished, as they each perform the role of a mnemonic node, reflective of a particular time and place in Kuwait's history. They, as discussed in a previous post (click here to see it) store some of the collective identity of the nation, forming a recognizable and definable point on the country's historical time-line, and act as manifestations of Kuwait's evolving culture(s).

Close-up of one of the exposed spaces...

Why not adapt, instead of destroy? Why not, as is common in most other evolved metropolises, appropriate the building to fulfil a new set of functions? This might entail altering its currently hollowed spaces according to a new set of residential criteria which are more in line of how a city is inhabited today or, alternatively, chance to use of the spaces completely – modify it into a office building, a hotel, even a department store, or a combination of such uses. Not to save the 'Blue tile Building' and its likes would would be one more corrosive intervention this nation could do without, whilst saving it would provide Kuwait with one more stabilizing plinth in the nation's foundation. Saving a building of this age and calibre, a building that is amongst the few remaining that can count its age in multiple decades (I assume it might have been built in the sixties, early seventies) would provide a pertinent example of how the nation has developed, and would be a viable reference for how current and future generations could/ should go about building their local vernaculars.

External view through one of the now fully exposed interiors...

Partly reflected view from one of the duplexes...

Seaside view from one of the triplexes...

The railing-less internal stairwell...

A dramatic leak...

The residue of a ceiling...

A view of a ceiling, as it stands...

The inner workings of a partition wall...

The two adjacent, still partially inhabited, buildings with a similar tile pattern on their flanking sides...

Musings made whilst Flâneuring Along Salem Al-Mubarak Street

The included short 'animation' consists of some musings made during a walk down Salem Al-Mubarak Street in Salmiya, Kuwait. The film, made out of over 400 individual images assembled in Power-point, had to unfortunately be filmed off my computer screen as the software I was planning to use refused to convert any shots lasting less than a second into a MPEG, AVI or Quick-time format, resulting in the video that should last about 3 minutes taking well over 20 minutes (as it converted the fraction of a second shots into full seconds). Nevertheless, it is clear enough to catch the intended gist of the video, and, if I manage to figure out how to convert the movie directly (any suggestions would be much appreciated) I'll replace the current one.

A few years back we used to live in Salmiya, a stones throw from the Sha'ab Amusement Park, and I used to walk down this street almost daily, on my way to the selection of coffee-shops clustered around the Sultan Center. The Salem Al-Mubarak Street is amongst the only sections of the city that has the the history and, in regards to future development, the 'bones' to be developed into a proper external pedestrianized area. This factor has also been noted by others in Kuwait, such as fellow bloggers re:Kuwait, who included a recent post on the subject matter and area (click here for a link to their submission). Unfortunately the street seems currently to be under threat, as substantial sections of the on average three and four floor buildings flanking its sides are either abandoned or in the process of being demolished. This is a true pity, and, again, a considerable lost opportunity (a term that seems to crop up regrettably often on this blog) as what this street and area has will be very difficult to duplicate or rejuvenate if the current 'developments' are allowed to proceed much further. What it needs is a total strategic overhaul that provides the street and district with an update whilst retaining its unique qualities – its casualness, non-mallness, spontaneity, walkability – its outdoorness...

This last point became particularly pertinent recently when we were invited to present at the Dar Al-Athar al-Islamyyia, scheduled to take place on November 11^th (more details about this at a later date) as this occasion could be the perfect opportunity to tie together and develop a coherent proposal from the various, still somewhat discordant, ideas we've developed for this area over the last few years for how this street could be designed and modified to accommodate the desires of the above musings. What this will entails exactly remains still to be seen, but the intention is to present a, still at this stage schematic, proposal for how the Salem Al-Mubarak Street could be rethought. The included video forms a part of this process.