Bait al Dalaleel — building with a difference
By Melanie Held -
LOOKING to inspire people by reviewing the past, understanding the present and working on the future, then Bait al Dalaleel at Bait al Zubair is the place for you, especially this summer.
The Bait al Dalaleel unifies the two worlds of Oman whereby one half speaks of Oman’s historical times and the second half, of Oman’s artistic future. The historical section of the building shows how “Omanis lived over 100 years ago,” naturally renovations have been made, yet still maintaining its “authentic Omani culture.”
Upon entering Bait al Dalaleel, one might be confused as to what one can do within its walls, but the answer is simple — anything! The building itself is dedicated to let the imagination flow as well as a place for one to gain knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of art. Bait al Zubair calls Bait al Dalaleel “a collective space dedicated to welcome, inspire, and influence the young generation of artists in Oman. The art space is a haven for writers and artists to create, freelancers to work, researchers to connect, thinkers to network and artists to collaborate. It is an open space that cultivates ideas, generates cultural conversations on art, design, music, dance, theatre, film and literature.”
The open plan of the building allows creativity to flow as the walls, columns and ceiling are all designed to stimulate ones artistic side. Works from artist such as Sarah White and Yousuf al Nahwi hang along the walls and if more inspiration is needed, then the ceiling definitely will, as the lights shades are made from the Omani kuma. If this is all a bit too much and you are looking to understand Omani’s rich and simplistic history, the second half of the building is what you are looking for. Maintaining its natural look, colour and feel of a traditional Omani house, different rooms portray what life was like here in Oman, over 100 years ago. May it be the date room, where one can see how families made syrup from dates, the bedroom where typical artifacts decorate the space, to the living room, which is not that different to the ones we see nowadays in some traditional houses.
After one has travelled back and forth through Omani’s history, Bait al Dalaleel also acts as a coffee shop offering their guests food, drink and a place where they can relax and enjoy the art books of the world.
But that is not all one can do at Bait al Dalaleel.
Beginning of June 1st, Bait al Dalaleel is host a summer course focusing on the journey of art from the renaissance to street art, whereby catering to “artists of all levels and experience,” this includes young students over the age of 18. Looking to help the participants “contextualise their studio work, to understand and negotiate the complex relationships between making art and the ways in which contemporary and historical art is interpreted, displayed and understood,” this lecture will be presented by a visiting lecturer Dr John Dickerson, from Richmond University. “John Dickerson is a British painter, ceramist and art historian whose work has been represented in numerous exhibitions and is held in many collections around the world. In addition to producing his own artwork, he has had a long teaching career mainly in Britain and the USA. He is the author of three books on ceramics and is a specialist on Raku tea ceremony ceramics. Dr Dickerson is particularly interested in cross-cultural dialogue and in assisting young artists to develop their personal expressive language within the contemporary cultural context.”
This one month course will be split into four courses — The Origins and foundations of Art; Late 19th Century Art to Dada and Surrealism; Bauhaus to Conceptual Art; and Photography to the Future of Art — each course lasting 5 days, Sunday to Thursday from 9am -5pm.
Tuesday 20th, May 2014 / 21:42 Written by
LOOKING to inspire people by reviewing the past, understanding the present and working on the future, then Bait al Dalaleel at Bait al Zubair is the place for you, especially this summer.
The Bait al Dalaleel unifies the two worlds of Oman whereby one half speaks of Oman’s historical times and the second half, of Oman’s artistic future. The historical section of the building shows how “Omanis lived over 100 years ago,” naturally renovations have been made, yet still maintaining its “authentic Omani culture.”
Upon entering Bait al Dalaleel, one might be confused as to what one can do within its walls, but the answer is simple — anything! The building itself is dedicated to let the imagination flow as well as a place for one to gain knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of art. Bait al Zubair calls Bait al Dalaleel “a collective space dedicated to welcome, inspire, and influence the young generation of artists in Oman. The art space is a haven for writers and artists to create, freelancers to work, researchers to connect, thinkers to network and artists to collaborate. It is an open space that cultivates ideas, generates cultural conversations on art, design, music, dance, theatre, film and literature.”
The open plan of the building allows creativity to flow as the walls, columns and ceiling are all designed to stimulate ones artistic side. Works from artist such as Sarah White and Yousuf al Nahwi hang along the walls and if more inspiration is needed, then the ceiling definitely will, as the lights shades are made from the Omani kuma. If this is all a bit too much and you are looking to understand Omani’s rich and simplistic history, the second half of the building is what you are looking for. Maintaining its natural look, colour and feel of a traditional Omani house, different rooms portray what life was like here in Oman, over 100 years ago. May it be the date room, where one can see how families made syrup from dates, the bedroom where typical artifacts decorate the space, to the living room, which is not that different to the ones we see nowadays in some traditional houses.
After one has travelled back and forth through Omani’s history, Bait al Dalaleel also acts as a coffee shop offering their guests food, drink and a place where they can relax and enjoy the art books of the world.
But that is not all one can do at Bait al Dalaleel.
Beginning of June 1st, Bait al Dalaleel is host a summer course focusing on the journey of art from the renaissance to street art, whereby catering to “artists of all levels and experience,” this includes young students over the age of 18. Looking to help the participants “contextualise their studio work, to understand and negotiate the complex relationships between making art and the ways in which contemporary and historical art is interpreted, displayed and understood,” this lecture will be presented by a visiting lecturer Dr John Dickerson, from Richmond University. “John Dickerson is a British painter, ceramist and art historian whose work has been represented in numerous exhibitions and is held in many collections around the world. In addition to producing his own artwork, he has had a long teaching career mainly in Britain and the USA. He is the author of three books on ceramics and is a specialist on Raku tea ceremony ceramics. Dr Dickerson is particularly interested in cross-cultural dialogue and in assisting young artists to develop their personal expressive language within the contemporary cultural context.”
This one month course will be split into four courses — The Origins and foundations of Art; Late 19th Century Art to Dada and Surrealism; Bauhaus to Conceptual Art; and Photography to the Future of Art — each course lasting 5 days, Sunday to Thursday from 9am -5pm.
Awesome and interesting article. Great things you've always shared with us. Thanks.
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