|Tæ'boõq|
Digital photography. Safat Square, Derwazat Al Abdurazzaq underpass and Sultan Gallery (2009)
Tæ'boõq is Arabic for bricks. The root of this word is not denoting its brittle quality rather the action of layering during construction. The work is a photographic exploration of the layers of modern cities with a focus on the perforated brick motifs used in buildings from the 1960s. They are usually installed on the facades of buildings to decorate or ventilate transitional spaces such as staircases, hallways, balconies and airshafts. Some of their patterns are universal, seen in areas where socialist architecture is part of a city’s history such as Berlin and Warsaw, and some are unique and local.
The exhibition presents scenes and screens from different areas in Kuwait as tellers of marginal narratives. They also suggest a case of spatial translation when architectural units are flattened into mere patterns; copied images with structure and fabrication not taken fully into consideration. It is known about these modern mashrabiyas that they used to fall apart when it rains. The inevitable decaying quality of these units makes them marginal storytellers of the rapids of urban renewals Kuwait underwent in the mid 20th century.
The photographic installation was held in Derwazat Al Abdulrazzaq underpass and Safat Square. Both places were preparatory projects built in the 1980s for Kuwait’s Metro Project that has never been materialised. The space allowed casual passersby interact with exhibition visitors. It is also a way to be in the context where these photographs were taken. Using the underpass and the square was not intended as an invitation to gentrify or reclaim the city, however it did contribute to a significant urban shift around these spaces.
