House for Worship?

By Ali Al Yousifi

What’s the difference between a house and a palace?

 Some might say that a palace is a big and luxurious house. I’d disagree. I think a house and a palace are two completely different things, almost like comparing a museum to a hospital. When it comes to houses and palaces, largeness and extravagance are not the only points of divergence. What’s critical here is that these two building types have entirely different functions and purposes. 

A house is a place where people live. The house building is supposed to make the lives of its inhabitants most comfortable; it helps them in their daily activities. A house serves those who dwell in it; it cares about those inside its walls, not those outside. The inhabitants of a house feel free to adjust the house in any way to make their lives easier; they care about how the house works, not how it looks. A house can be a home.

A palace is also a place where people live, but the palace building is not concerned about making the lives of its inhabitants comfortable. The purpose of a palace is to impress visitors; its attention is turned towards those outside its walls not inside them. A palace must be kept in perfect shape at all times; it doesn’t matter whether the lives of its inhabitants are comfortable or easy, as long as it looks impressive, as long as it inspires respect. A palace can never be a home. 

Places of worship are often referred to as ‘houses of God’, but I think most of them are palaces, not houses. I think many of these buildings care more about impressing visitors than serving users. These palaces, filled with sparkling crystals, polished marble, and carved columns, are not where anyone can feel comfortable, and worship is the last thing these buildings have been designed to accommodate.

An obvious example of this ‘palace of God’ phenomenon is Sheikh Zayed’s Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Don’t misunderstand me, while walking around its spaces, I found this building extremely beautiful, truly impressive. But the next time I feel like contemplating the deeper things in life, this ‘mosque’ will be the last place I’ll think of. You can call it a museum, you can call it a sculpture, you can even call it a very expensive pavilion, but don’t call it a house of God; the closest this building will ever come to domesticity is for it to be a palace of God.  

Pioneering Blockbusters

By Ali Al Yousifi

Source

               I recently read an essay by Patrick Keiller called ‘Film as Spatial Critique’ in a book called ‘Critical Architecture’. The author tries to link the development of film making, which started in the 1880s (shocking isn’t it?), to the development of Modernist architecture, which started at roughly the same time. Since Modernism brought about drastic changes in the built environment, those early films allow us a unique glimpse of a time prior to the “oil economy and the motor car”. These short films allow us to actually see the world more than a hundred years ago.

               Following are some examples of these early films produced by the French Brothers Lumière, who are the first filmmakers in history. Their first film was called ‘Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory in Lyon’ (1888):

(if the video doesn't load automatically click on this LINK)

This film is called ‘Place des Cordeliers in Lyon’ (1895):  
(if the video doesn't load automatically click on this LINK)

From these simple recorded scenes of everyday life later developed films with narratives. This must be one of first comedy films in history, ‘The Sprinkler Sprinkled’ (1895):
(if the video doesn't load automatically click on this LINK)

Click on this link to see the oldest surviving film in history.

Sikkas in the Avenues

By Ali Al Yousifi

               As part of the latest expansions of The Avenues Mall is what’s called The Souk. This area, unlike other parts of the Avenues has small stores, many designated to start-ups and entrepreneurs. The space has been designed to replicate the atmosphere of a traditional Kuwaiti souk.

               Although I understand that many of the stores are not open yet, and so The Souk is expected to host more visitors and activities in the future, my first impression wasn’t great. I appreciate the effort to reestablish Kuwait’s architectural heritage, and I think doing this in a commercial mall like the Avenues is a great idea, but I feel it could have been much better. Just walking around other areas in the Avenues like Grand Avenue and Prestige (love them or hate them) shows very clearly the large effort that was put into designing these spaces; it’s different with The Souk, not so much effort was invested.

               For example: The Souk is not historically accurate, not even close, but it’s also not innovative. It doesn’t represent the past properly, but its design doesn’t point the way forward either; it kind of in the middle. It’s unclear what they were trying to do, because doing something that just looks like old Kuwait is sub-par design, even for a mall.

                For a comparison you can look at the P2BK Village, which is also trying to create an old Kuwait feel, but it does so to a much more successful extent. At least the P2BK Village has various attractions: live performances, art sculptures, costumed characters, and the many booths. On the other hand, The Souk is just like a normal boring mall but with a low ceiling and narrow walkways.

Wunderland Kalkar

By Hessa AlHabshi

Photo credits to wunderlandkalkar.eu

When I think about what should replace a nuclear power station, I immediately think about an amusement park because why not? That sounds completely safe. Who doesn't want to take their loved ones there?

The formally known “Schneller Bruter”, which was a venture between Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. It cost more than five billion US dollars to create… Thank god all this money wasting didn't affect the economy in Europe (click here). After all that money was wasted, the power station was never used following the German government’s decision to abandon all nuclear energy plants.

This site, which is 136 acres, was sold to a Dutch investor who didn't bring down the reactor, but built a leisure park in place called ‘Wunderland Kalkar’.

The amusement park has a unique design feature:  an enormous cooling tower was embedded with a swing ride, while it's outer walls were converted to a 130 foot tall climbing wall. The rides don’t stop there; the park also includes a ferris wheel, carousels  roller coasters and many other rides. There’s also restaurants, a hotel, a museum, a go-cart track and miniature golf.

Apparently it’s “completely” safe, according to the Daily Mail a spokeswoman of the park said, "People come from all over the world because they are completely fascinated by the park. It's totally unique and that's what draws people in. It's not something you see every day. Some people worry it's unsafe but it is 100 per cent safe. Because the nuclear power station has never been put to use, the whole complex is guaranteed free of radiation."

Even though I’m a bit skeptical over the fact that it went from being a nuclear reactor to an amusement park for families, the park is a prime example of an adaptive reuse project which attracts 600,000 visitors a year. 

Germany is planning to phase out the use of nuclear power by 2022 in favour of renewable energy sources, but what will become of these nuclear plants after they shut down?

Street Art of P2BK

By Ali Al Yousifi

During my visit to the P2BK village, I took some pictures of the paintings and posters decorating the village’s streets. Here are some of them:

P2BK Village

By Ali Al Yousifi

               If you haven’t already heard about the newly constructed village built by P2BK (Proud to Be Kuwaiti), wait, what am I saying? of course you have, everyone has heard about P2BK’s village. The 18,000m² village in the International Fairground in Mishref district has been publicized to no end by both its makers and many satisfied visitors.

               I visited the village last weekend. Not knowing where the it was exactly, I arrived at the fairground and just followed the congested traffic edging towards their common destination. Before reaching the actual village I was happily surprised with a huge flag of Kuwait painted with countless handprints.

                Once I reached the high walls of the village I was again surprised by the large crowd of people clustered around the gates. I snuck my way into the crowd and finally reached the other side of the walls. Inside, the village is cluttered with overlapping activities and attractions. The main attraction were the many kiosks covered large parts of the village, showcasing the creative work of Kuwait’s youth.

The kiosks are divided into different zones. Some flank covered linear paths, some create the outdoor public paths; some areas were showcasing products, while other areas served food.

Other attractions included live drawing/painting shows, large-scale sculptures made out of mud, paintings and posters depicting aspects of Kuwaiti culture hung on many walls, and costumed characters that walk around village and entertain the visitors.

P2BK’s Village is not intended to be an honest representation of a traditional Kuwaiti village, nor is it trying to become a sculptural piece of ‘high culture’; instead it is a built environment inspired by the people it serves. Often these days, we see pieces of art or architecture whose concept and significance, although being highly acclaimed by professional critics, are inaccessible to the general public. P2BK’s Village is not like that, it is completely tuned to represent and entertain Kuwaiti society. 

The village will be open until the 19th of March 

The 'BAT'

By Hessa AlHabashi

Photos courtesy of kibardindesign

They've gone and created the next best thing! probably not the best thing, but it’s still pretty fun to look at. The Russian designer Vadim Kidbardin created a levitating wireless computer mouse with the ironic name “BAT”.

This levitating mouse floats above a magnetic base to protect and treat your wrist from ‘carpal tunnel syndrome’. This new innovation has hopes of relieving ‘pressure on the median nerve’ by elevating the controls to an ergonomic position.

Mawahib Group Expo

By Ali Al Yousifi

               The Mawahib Group Expo was held in ACK College in Mishref district, between the 5^th and the 9^th of March. The expo aimed at showcasing the various, and predominantly young, talents in Kuwait. This allowed talented individuals the opportunity to sell their work at the expo or get future commissions and customers. Visitors were also exposed to what talented people in Kuwait were up to.

A large number of booths were setup inside a large tent-like structure. These booths were of different sizes and specialties; to only name some, there were booths dedicated to painting, anime art, graffiti art, scale modeling, photography, fashion, books, and others. There was also a large stage at the back of the expo tent for live music performances.

These are some of the booths in the expo:

Enviornmentally-friendly Park (Kuwait Edition)

By Hessa AlHabshi

When I heard about an environmentally-friendly park, I immediately wanted to go; it's not because Kuwait doesn't usually do this kind of stuff, but because Kuwait really, really does not do this kind of stuff.

It’s not your typical Kuwaiti park. The idea is different from anything made in Kuwait in a while, which is that everything inside it was made of recycled and waste materials produced in Yarmouk (Where the park is located). Over 10 tons of waste including plastics, electronics and tires were used to make everything from the entrance arch to the trees and even the seats.

The park is first of its kind in Kuwait and was organized by KISR (Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research . The Park is found in block two in Yarmouk Area).