A Concrete Vision – Interview with the project leader for Concrete at Alserkal Avenue
Director of OMA in 2007, Lyad Alsaka led the project for Concrete at Alserkal Avenue along with other acclaimed projects in the Middle East
What inspired you to spearhead the project for Concrete in the UAE? OMA has always collaborated with international institutions in both programming and developing public cultural venues around the world. For example, we created the Marina Abramovic Institute in the Hudson USA, the Fondazione Prada in Milan, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, thereby having a long association with such institutes. From one end, it was crucial for us when Alserkal Avenue launched, to be part of it, as we wanted to move our cultural interest to the region which is the Middle East. I always find these kinds of projects more challenging and exciting, especially in a world like Dubai where everything is new, sparkly and shiny.
Tell us about your creative process? For any project that we work with, the creative project is always very collective, we think almost in a group, without almost any hierarchy, so almost everybody has an opinion, and everybody is very expressive, it’s an ambition and design attitude and when it came to Alserkal itself, there were a lot of factors, it was quite a challenging design brief from the client, that they want a resilient venue as it needed to stand out from the existing surroundings along with the budget. So, working with these conditions, we took into consideration each parameter of the brief and we almost exhausted every scenario you can think of. We always worked alongside the client throughout the process. Here the client had a young, ambitious team, so there were a lot of brainstorming sessions with them and eventually we landed where we are, which is the final product you’ve seen, hence, the entire process was very exciting. What is the core DNA of Concrete at Alserkal Avenue? The core DNA is the ability of the space to mutate. The existing space we took over was around 1,200sq metres and the idea was to create a space that can go from being a 900sq metre venue to a 70sq metre venue. These four walls around 8-metre-high, can rotate or shift to almost create different compartments in the venue. This compartment can also be used hundred per cent separately, depending on the nature of the event with acoustic insulation. For the creator of each exhibition, the walls are also an expression, it could be a stand for something, be rotated to any angle and you can allocate the space in any way, so this is really the DNA – it’s multifunctionality.
Could you briefly tell us about the other projects led by you? I have been working with OMA since 2007, since then I’ve worked in the Middle East region and North Africa in general. Lately I’ve also expanded to places such as South Asia, which is Bangladesh and Malaysia. So, as we also handled public analysis, and I was a part of the publication for Al Manakh in the region in 2007, we shifted our focus in the region back then to think about the non-physical environment, making it very theoretical but at the same time very applicable to this region. One of the projects I led and almost worked on for a decade was the Qatar National Library, making it an environment which goes beyond a library, a public space which isn’t commercial and that is the merit of it. It’s a hotspot for people to meet, as they needed a protected environment in that region in contrast to a shopping mall.
What can guests experience when they visit this unique space? The quality of Alserkal Avenue to begin with is that it has its own charm. The creator of any exhibition also has his own space which he can manipulate in any way. The effort put into both the inside and the outside, was impeccable. These 8-metre-high doors completely open up and suddenly you’re open to the outside, which is what you can do for four to five months of the year, making it a unique quality in a place like Dubai. For the opening dinner, both the inside blended with the outside, making it a diverse space with this striking feature.
What is your approach to daily dressing? It’s
very minimal with shades of black, white and grey. I avoid patterns, as it’s mainly black that I like to stick to. However, when I’m in Dubai, I mostly wear white to avoid the heat.
Which books are you currently reading for inspiration? Personally, I’m very much interested in the philosophy and science of the consciousness, that leads mainly to people’s behaviour, giving me an insight into physical planning. I’m currently reading a book by the philosopher Derek Parfait, entitled ‘Reasons and Persons’, in combination with something on brain numerology by Iain McGilchrist called ‘The Master and His Emissary’. Basically, more non-fiction than fiction.
What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self? It would be to consider different disciplines of studies, as our generation usually sticks to specialised subjects which often leads to a narrow view of the world without having the resilience for different circumstances. Especially with the rapid evolvement of the environment we’re in, which no one can cope with, so having a diverse background will give you that resilience as real creativity happens at the intersection of different disciplines. For instance, if you design cities, you need to know about anthropology to study people, which adds a massive value to it. You have to continue studying and you cannot stop developing yourself, in different disciplines, that adds value to the world.
What is Style to you? Style for me is two parts, one part is self-knowledge and the other part is self-confidence as at the end of the day it’s an attitude. I don’t think people should confuse style with fashion, as style is intelligence because you really know who you are to pull it off.