Architectural Future of the Gulf: Out With the New In With the Old | Civil Architecture
This afikra podcast episode with Hamed Bukhamseen and Ali Ismail Karimi from Civil Architecture delve into the architectural, geographic, cultural, and historic fabric of "the Gulf". We ask what and where is the Gulf: is it a concrete geography or an abstract entity? Ali and Hamed reflect on what it means to be of and from this region and how this has evolved over time.
Through an economic and political lens, they talk about the branding of the Gulf, the intellectual project behind it, and the impact of neoliberal policies on its present and future. Finally, we ask them both to compare and contrast their home cities of Kuwait (for Hamed) and Bahrain (for Ali) — and explain why some people consider highways to be public spaces.
Civil Architecture is a cultural practice pre-occupied with the making of buildings and books about them. Civil's work asks what it means to produce architecture in a decidedly un-civil time, presenting a new civic character for a global condition. Since its founding by Hamed Bukhamseen and Ali Ismail Karimi, the practice has attracted a strong following for its provocative works and its offer of an alternate future for a nascent Middle East.
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The Afikra Podcast
The afikra Podcast is our flagship series featuring experts from academia, art, media, urban planning, and beyond, who are helping document and shape the histories and cultures of the Arab world through their work.
