Sayyid Bilarab opens Oman-swiss exhibition
H H Sayyid Bilarab bin Haitham al Said presided over a ceremony at the National Museum on Wednesday to inaugurate an exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Oman and Switzerland.
The exhibition, Swiss NonConformist Design, is being held in cooperation with the Embassy of the Swiss Confederation in Oman, and the National Museum.
H H Sayyid Bilarab also opened another exhibition titled ‘Hope: Housing, People and Environment 2023’, which is being organised by the German University of Technology (Gutech).
H H Sayyid Bilarab toured the Swiss Non-conformist Design exhibition that is celebrating the uniqueness of modern and contemporary Swiss design, right from the beginning of the 20th Century, notably upon the emergence of the ‘Dada’ movement in Zurich, through to postmodern expressions.
The exhibition, which will last until July 22, is the first appearance of this genre of Swiss design in the Middle East. It is one of the first exhibitions of its kind in the world outside Switzerland, stated a press release.
The exhibition is distinguished for its special focus on non-conformist design. Nearly 40 per cent of the pieces exhibited in Muscat have not been displayed before.
The exhibits are carefully selected from among the high-level museum designs of pioneers of architecture in the 20th and 21st centuries.
H H Sayyid Bilarab listened to a detailed account of the pieces on display, including themes of ‘chairs’ and the culture of ‘sitting posture’, since sitting and communication between people acquires special significance in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.
Jamal Hassan al Moosawi, Secretary General of the National Museum, said that the event celebrates Swiss design and designers interested in the basic principles that underline Omani and Swiss cultures.
H E Thomas Oertle, Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Oman, said that this unique exhibition displays objects from iconic artists such as Le Corbusier and Sophie Arp Täuber, to items never exhibited before such as furniture of Pierre Jeanneret from the Unesco World Heritage Site Chandigarh Capitol Complex in India, and finally to designs from contemporary Swiss artists such as Tom Strala.
Prof Dr Michael Braun, Rector of Gutech, said that ‘Hope: Housing, People and Environment 2023’ exhibition is an initiative to promote peoplecentred planning to activate urban environments in Oman.
This initiative, he added, combines architecture, urban planning, social sciences, technology, environmental and sustainability aspects and many more.
The exhibits are carefully selected from among the high-level museum designs of pioneers of architecture in the 20th and 21st centuries