Sharjah Triennial: Last Chance To See

by Sophie She

Sharjah Triennial: Last Chance To See

5 Mar 2024

The Sharjah Architecture Triennial (SAT) is a platform focused on architecture and urbanism in the region spanning from West Asia to South Asia and Africa. The triennial promotes a multi-disciplinary approach, emphasising architecture's broader implications for social and environmental issues.

The second edition, curated by Tosin Oshinowo and titled "The Beauty of Impermanence: An Architecture of Adaptability," explores design and technological innovations in the global South, highlighting sustainability, accessibility, equity (and spirituality in architecture as we will see from our shortlist).

Furthermore, the curatorial focus includes a commitment to minimising waste and engaging with local resources, underscoring the urgency of circularity and regeneration in architectural practice and education.

Now we are marking a couple of the very last days of this season’s SAT, so we came up with our shortlist of the most interesting pieces we encourage you to visit before it is too late (the 10th of March).

Must note — in addition to these six, have a look at the other two (one and two) we have told you about already and count them in our small list of architectural beauties.

"Anthropocene Museum 9.0" — Sharjah's Old Slaughter-house Tour by Cave Bureau

Venue: Old Slaughterhouse

We are kicking off our list with the most triggering installation presented at 2023–2024 Triennale.

Kenyan architectural studio Cave Bureau has transformed Old Sharjah Slaughterhouse into the “Anthropocene Museum 9.0” as part of the Sharjah Architecture Triennial. The museum, hosted in a still-operating slaughterhouse, combines artistic exhibits with the working facility, guiding visitors through the same route animals take during processing and aligning with a strategy to integrate exhibition programmes into the city's fabric.

Instagram: @cave_bureau

Embracing a concept of reverse futurism, neglected city areas were reimagined through a cultural exhibition programme, focusing on animals as central figures. The museum uncovers the commodification of both animals and humans on a global scale, drawing parallels with historical events like the transportation of enslaved Africans. The intervention highlighted the philosophical theme of meaningful impermanence, challenging conventional notions of cultural institutions.

Instagram: @cave_bureau

Cave Bureau explores issues of decolonisation, decarbonisation, and environmental impact, focusing on the commodification of animals and humans. The installation aims to trigger some feelings of disgust with introspection and spiritual reconnection, encouraging a broader global consciousness about urban landscapes and creatures' co-existence.

If you would like to have a short sound teaser for your visit, you can find Slaughterhouse soundtracks here.

“Utility of Being: A Paradox of Proximity” by Adrian Pepe

You must have seen these insane fury tubes on the internet. Well, their meaning is as striking as their look.

Marking an important moment in Adrian Pepe's artistic career, “Utility of Being: A Paradox of Proximity” is his largest installation to date. Created from the pelts of Awassi sheep, a natural byproduct of regional slaughtering, the site-specific installation occupies Sharjah's Old Slaughterhouse. The installation unfolds as a composition of tubular forms resembling the lines of animal abdominal organs. The continuously inflated bodies, suspended from the very hooks and rails once used for handling animal carcasses, boldly traverse and inhabit the space.

Photo: Danko Stjepanovic. Courtesy of Sharjah Architecture Triennial

One can see how Pepe challenges perceptions of survival, commerce, and human-animal relations. This monumental work serves as a metaphor, inviting you to contemplate material alchemy and the delicate fragility of biological existence. The Awassi sheep, a significant symbol in this narrative, becomes the focal point of a shared history that has shaped the multidimensional relationship between humanity and this breed.

Photo: Alessandro Fagioli

The Old Slaughterhouse of the Emirate of Sharjah provides a poignant backdrop, adding layers of historical resonance to the installation. Amidst urbanisation and globalisation, it highlights the diminishing indigenous production forms and the evolving significance of Awassi sheep in contemporary society.

With “Utility of Being,” Adrian Pepe invites you to consider the transformation of traditional practices and the enduring resonance of cultural significance in the modern era.

"Concrete Tent" by DAAR (Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti)

Venue: Al Madam

DAAR’s "Concrete Tent" illustrates how politically empowered installation can be very visually appealing.

“The Concrete Tent”, located in the abandoned Al Madam Ghost Town in the eastern desert of Sharjah, serves as a venue for shared grieving and expressing solidarity with Palestinian people.

The project combines a mobile tent with a concrete house, exploring the concept of "permanent temporariness." This notion reflects the displacement caused by environmental, political, and economic changes, preventing people from fully experiencing the present.

Source: www.decolonizing.ps

The "Concrete Tent" serves as an experimental reimagination, preserving and redefining temporal built environments in the Al Madam Ghost Town. Initially intended for settling nomadic people, the site now stands as an abandoned project, symbolising the legacy of "permanent temporariness."

The tent, constructed with yuta fabric, a traditional tent material, embodies impermanence and reflects the experiences of modern migrant communities. Being a fundamental component in the creation of refugee camps, the tent also functions as a space for assemblies during funerals and protests. It represents the tangible expression of the transient condition of refugees in camps, concurrently symbolising their entitlement to return to their homes.

Taken from the Dheisheh Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, Palestine, in 2015, the tent represents global mourning for Palestine, and during the triennial's inauguration, it became a space for communal mourning led by DAAR founders Sandi and Alessandro.

P.S. What is DAAR? DAAR (Decolonizing Architecture Art Research), the artistic duo of Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti, engages in interdisciplinary work at the intersection of architecture, art, pedagogy, and politics. Over the past two decades, their research projects have combined theoretical depth with practical involvement in the pursuit of justice and equality. Their art exhibitions transcend traditional display sites, spilling into architectural structures, critical learning environments, interventions challenging dominant narratives, and the creation of civic spaces. Accompanying their practice, seminal books like "Refugee Heritage," "Permanent Temporariness," and "Architecture after Revolution" offer theoretical insights challenging established norms.

"Óré ì Sé Àgbon" by Bubu Ogisi

Venue: Old Al Jubail Vegetable Market

The fluffiest one.

The installation "Óré ì sé agbòn" (eng.: the Land that Extended to the Visible World) at the Sharjah Architecture Triennial 2023 challenges traditional discourse on spirituality by redefining the relationship between space, body, and mind, urging observers to reconsider the infinite material iterations that spirits can represent.

Instagram: @bubuogisi

In a former market hall, Bubu Ogisi, a fibre artist and fashion designer from Lagos, has created an immersive installation to encourage visitors to contemplate spirituality. The area is surrounded by textured textile panels and video displays, with a central fibre-covered structure serving as a dedicated space for a guardian spirit. As visitors move through the space, a cinnamon-scented floor releases the fragrance of the aromatic bark. The designer describes the experience as transforming the viewer's body into a spiritual landscape — a dynamic energy field intentionally crafted, consistently evolving, and frequently revitalised.

The installation, which includes a central shrine called Àrò-òtó, delves into the essence of guardian spirits like Djinn in Arabic or Èhì in Èdó, emphasising the constant companionship of these spirits with individuals. The space is designed to transform the viewer's body into a spiritual landscape, constantly evolving and interacting with the spirit.

"Play You Are in Sharjah" by 51-1 Arquitectos

Venue: Al Qasimiyah School

The colourful one! Next to the curved former market, the Peruvian studio 51-1 Arquitectos has set up four large flags forming the word "play," accompanied by tables for board games. The installation, placed throughout the Al Qasimiyah School area, aims to reestablish a connection between the Old Al Jubail Vegetable Market, previously marked for demolition, and the city of Sharjah. The architects intend to convert this cultural venue into a playful space for the triennial.

Instagram: @sharjaharchitecture

Each table is equipped with a movable canopy to encourage people to utilise the area, which used to be vibrant before the market's closure.

According to Manuel de Rivero, co-founder of the studio, the goal was to enliven this dormant space and transform it into an engaging area, especially since it serves as the entrance to Sharjah for many.

The elements are consistently reconfigured based on the sun's movement and people's preferences, resulting in a different square each day — a curated form of organised disorder, according to 51-1 Arquitectos.

Do as the installation suggests and play with the tables, making the space comfortable for you.

"Jabal: 9 Ash Cleansing Temple" by Yussef Agbo-Ola

Venue: Al Qasimiyah School

Just to note, we know there are a lot of spiritual and symbolic installations in this year’s Triennale edition, but we promise this one is really worth your brain’s space.

Created by architect Yussef Agbo-Ola from the environmental design firm Olaniyi Studio, “Jabal” is an architectural entity designed to provide a habitat for non-human life and endangered species within the sanctuary of a sacred mountain.

Inspired by rituals in Bedouin, Yoruba, and Cherokee communities that honour the natural world, the temple is crafted from jute, hemp, and cotton yarns, chosen for their skin-like texture, permeability, and scalability. The incorporation of these fabrics into the sanctuary serves as a representation of the influence of climate change on Sharjah's biodiversity.

The structure, resembling a nomadic shrine, incorporates organic plant fibres knitted together and supported by camel wool, referencing Bedouin tent architecture. The temple serves as a spiritual space for collective incense-burning rituals and breathing ceremonies, with each fabric component representing endangered plant and animal species in the region. The knitted motifs reflect cosmological beliefs, symbolising spirits, ancestors, and environmental entities crucial for human life.

Instagram: @olaniyi.studio

Inspired by the microscopic world's agricultural and spiritual dimensions of soil, the installation encourages visitors to energise the ground through chanting, dancing, and praying while also allowing themselves to be nurtured by the earth.

The project delves into the essential role of soil in supporting life on Earth, emphasising its spiritual and healing connections. The pavilion aims to create a sacred space for contemplation, providing an immersive experience of the soil's womb-like properties.

Instagram: @olaniyi.studio

The temple's outer form mimics the silhouette of Jebel Jais Mountain, representing the impact of climate change on Sharjah's biodiversity.

After its time in Sharjah, the temple will be relocated to the Amazon, merging with the forest to create a sacred space for environmental contemplation.

"Archive: The Work of Alan Vaughan-Richards" by Ola Uduku and Michael Collins

Venue: Al Qasimiyah School

Last but not least, we want something blue on our shortlist.

The ongoing triennial features the archive of Nigerian-British architect Alan Vaughan-Richards, offering insights into his adaptive architectural practice in 20th-century Lagos.

The exhibit reimagines his home environment, incorporating outdoor and indoor spaces to reflect his sustainable design approach. Exhibition of his drawings, and thoughts on architectural education, accompanied by sounds of 1970s Lagosian life.

The installation integrates outdoor and indoor spaces, reflecting Vaughan-Richards' sustainable design and the fusion of “the outdoors” with Nigerian life. Textiles, printed canvas, and indigo-dyed cotton reinterpret his drawing office and living room, connecting to his wife's love of fashion.

Instagram: @sharjaharchitecture

Remi Vaughan-Richards, his daughter, complements the exhibit with films showcasing his works in present-day Lagos.

Ola Uduku, Head of the Liverpool School of Architecture, and Michael Collins, an Irish architect, contribute to the exhibition with their expertise in West African architecture and urban design, respectively.

The installation's afterlife envisions a wearable archive, with garments integrated into the exhibit and set to travel globally.

by Sophie She