Lifescapes Beyond Bigness by The National Pavilion UAE

Lifescapes Beyond Bigness explores alternative ways to make cities in the United Arab Emirates, a nation well-known for its large-scale and ambitious building endeavors. Khaled Alawadi and his colleagues advocate a smaller, more human scale. Their ideas are deeply rooted in nature and culture. Their goal is nothing less than a radical rethinking and re-orientation of the cities in the UAE away from the bigness of its recent past. In many regards, this is a bold undertaking, even more audacious than the muscular high rises that dominate the skylines of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The National Pavilion UAE was established to endorse the UAE’s contemporary art practices on an international platform and provide a foundation to support the nation’s diverse and developing cultural scene. It is commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and supported by the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth.