Ancient wooden panels turned into unique pieces of art, as creative hands left their marks on the doors and windows of the old Al-Shindagha neighborhoods, which today still attract the minds and hearts of visitors from the people of the Emirates, tourists and fans of architectural styles.
Believing from the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority "Dubai Culture" of the importance of reviving the original heritage, the "Days of Shindagha" event organized by the 9th to the 18th of January in cooperation with the Dubai Shopping Festival, celebrates the traditional Dubai doors that used to decorate the façades of old houses in the Al-Shindagha neighborhood, via " Bab Al-Shindagha Gallery »that takes place at the main entrance to the festival. The exhibition highlights the traditional architectural style of Dubai, which preserved the Islamic character with its exquisite decorations, to be a civilized beacon that embodies one of the most important and wonderful heritage elements rich in plant and engineering decorations created by Emirati ancestors.
The exhibition includes 20 doors installed on metal stands that extend 57 meters long and 3 meters high. The doors were arranged in a parallel format that forms a path that takes the visitor on a trip to the past where he stops at 4 stations, each of which presents creative works of four Emirati artists inspired by the stories of those doors a number Among the distinctive artworks in a variety of styles has translated their affiliation into their rich heritage, their pride in it and their personal expression of it.
From door to door, the visitor has unique creations that tell stories of heritage with a beautiful modern template that deserves reflection. From one of the doors, a beautiful painting overlooks innovative ideas formed by the imagination and hopes of Emirati artist Saqqaf Al Hashemi, who depicts in one of his paintings the ancestral skill and the richness of their creativity, which formed the nucleus of innovation and development in Dubai today. Saqqaf drew his inspiration for this work from the idea of drawing an ancestor who crossed through the Shindagha Gate as a depiction of the fulfillment of their dreams and how they were the cause of this dream. The doors of Al-Shindagha, to Saqqaf, are the gateway that brought the ancestors' ambitions and their efforts to search and reveal what was hidden, and what they wanted to achieve for the new generation to enjoy a better life, and here are the aspirations of the ancestors to be fulfilled and here is the new generation that lives today and every day. This journey is the story that crossed the doors to lead to where we are today; to convey through this painting an idea that the dreams of the ancestors became a tangible reality in our present; and that it was the first seed of the progress and prosperity achieved today in the Emirates.
Upon entering the doorstep of another door, the visitor receives a distinctive three-dimensional installation of the artist Fatima Al-Awadi. His idea was built on "musical air bells" that were made of iron pieces that inspired their shape from the "knocker" that distinguishes the traditional doors, which was used to knock on the door instead of the electric bells used In our days.
Through one of the other chapters, the artist Jumana Al-Sheikh enters her visitors to special worlds in a deep synthesis based on the concept of harmony between the function of traditional doors and the values that prevailed in the beautiful past, while the door's function was to ensure privacy and security for the residents of the house, this did not prevent members of society At that time, their doors were open to everyone, whether they were strangers or relatives, thus reinforcing the values of tolerance and hospitality that they boast of. As for the fourth stop of the exhibition, the artist Ahlam Al-Bannai presents a photographic work inspired by the privacy that these ancient doors give to the residents of the houses, as well as the floral and geometric motifs and patterns that decorated them, highlighting some of the ancestral beliefs and stories related to those inscriptions and motifs.
4 Emirati artists were inspired by the stories of the doors, artwork that translated their belonging to their rich heritage.
The exhibition highlights the traditional architectural style of Dubai, which preserved the Islamic character with its exquisite decoration.