< PreviousBritish-Pakistani architect Asif Khan is combining historical inspiration with futuristic materials to create the public spaces for Expo 2020 Dubai THE TIME TRAVELLER Made from a carbon fi bre composite, the three entry portals for Dubai Expo 2020 were inspired by mashrabiya. OPPOSITE PAGE FROM LEFT: The soaring portals are 21m high; Asif Khan at the Expo 2020 site. AD_40-42_RADAR_Architecture_11231610.indd 4029/03/2020 01:59:08 PMRA D A R / A rc h it e c tu re 41 S oaring high above the Dubai desert land- scape, on the 4.4 sq/km site of what will be the world’s greatest show, stand three ethereal, 21 metre-high structures. Woven entirely from strands of an ultra lightweight carbon-fi bre com- posite in a futuristic interpreta- tion of traditional mashrabiya – intricate latticework designs used across the Middle East to regulate light and airfl ow – the edifi ces stand taller than a six-storey building, strong and resilient. According to their cre- ator, British architect Asif Khan, these entry portals for Expo 2020 Dubai are his greatest achievement yet. “They’re called portals because visitors will basically be trans- ported from one world to another when they pass through them,” Khan explains. Taking inspira- tion from regional architecture, and more specifi cally from the doors that lead into the court- yards found in many of the palac- es and homes in the region, the portals are also practical land- marks, allowing people to enter and exit the event easily. His eponymous studio has form when it comes to creating spectacular spaces for global happenings; notable projects include the award-winning UK Pavilion at Expo 2017 Astana, and the Hyundai Pavilion at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. He is also current- ly working on the new Museum of London. As the architect of Expo 2020 Dubai’s Public Realm, Khan is creating a number of designs which will dot the com- munal spaces. His creative pro- cess for the project began in an unconventional way in January 2017. “The fi rst thing I saw when I visited the site was a beautiful desert landscape, a horizon line and the feeling of limitless possi- bility,” says Khan, who couldn’t resist taking off his shoes and walking barefoot in the sand. “It was quite a funny and powerful moment for me – I felt in that instant an awareness of a whole society that had walked on this land, that is connected through history. It started the thought process for the Public Realm.” The architect had initially competed to design the Mobility Pavilion – which was ultimately awarded to Foster and Partners – before being off ered the contract to design the sprawling six km space that encompasses the Public Realm. This includes run- ning and walking tracks, benches and seating surfaces, landscap- ing, parks and tree-fi lled arrival courtyards – the very heart of Expo 2020. “The studio was asked to design the ‘glue’ that essentially connects the international pavil- ions together,” Khan says. “We’d also been told to imagine this space as the UAE’s own pavilion, to tell the stories of the UAE and to give visitors a completely unique experience.” Through collaborations, the studio has created site-specifi c works with a regional narrative and an Emirati identity. One such partnership was with Lebanese typographer Lara Captan, who helped Khan’s studio design 51 benches, all of which represent diff erent Arabic words - an engaging take on functional visi- tor rest points. “I think she’s at the avant-gar- de of thinking in terms of Arabic script in the digital age,” says Khan. “This was one of our mani- festo pieces at the Expo, where we wanted to talk about the Arabic language and Arabic script being fundamental to the identi- ty of the region,” Khan says. Made from diff erent materials, such as wood, concrete and stone, each Script bench is a one-off . Some are long enough to lay down on, while others have interactive sound tracks and water features. Another collaboration enlisted the talent of Emirati painter Abdel Qader Al Rais, renowned for his depictions of the UAE’s ghaf trees and other regional sub- “Visitors will be transported from one world to another through the portals” AD_40-42_RADAR_Architecture_11231610.indd 4129/03/2020 01:59:37 PM42 RA D A R / A rc h it e c tu re jects. Khan met with Al Rais to create a specifi c colour frame for the shading canopies around the concourse, which will provide six kilometres of coverage through- out the site. “We wanted to do something special with the colour of the beams that support these 12 metre-high columns,” Khan explains. “After our visit, the art- ist sent us these beautiful waterc- olours of ghaf tree. We then scanned and sampled them and worked with industrial paint manufacturers to create this ghaf tree colour specifi cally for Expo.” It was especially important to the architect to allow the region to have its own voice, using the land, people and culture as his main inspiration. “The contem- porary narrative of the area is ill-informed and there’s so much opportunity to inspire and edu- cate people about what is won- derful here,” he says. “It needs to be communicated to the world.” Growing up in the UK to a Pakistani father and East African Indian mother, Khan describes how his own parents were con- nected to the region in many ways, through Islam, but also through language, history, cul- ture, and even architecture. But for him, this connection sur- faced, and is growing stronger, as he gets older. “I’ve spent most of my design life really looking west. My heroes are all western architects. So I kind of rejected the heritage that I was born into. But through this project I’ve learned more about myself,” Khan explains. “These last three years, I’ve gone deeper into my own personal identity, and I’ve realised that this is the closest that I’ve come to describing who I am. It’s been a personal journey for me.” For Khan, and 25 million oth- ers, that journey is just begin- ning. asif-khan.com – JUMANA ABDEL -RAZZA Q CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A detail of the framework; the relatively light weight six-storey gates can be opened and closed swiftly. AD_40-42_RADAR_Architecture_11231610.indd 4229/03/2020 02:00:01 PMTRAIN AT HOME WITH BIKE PERSONAL The new icon of style and innovation designed by Antonio Citterio. Train at home with Technogym Coach, your Personal Trainer on demand. Call +971 4 337 5337 or visit technogym.com/ae/44 RA D A R /A rt Force of Nature In Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, an upcoming exhibit by a French-Iranian artist promises to encapsulate the life-affi rming beauty of its landscapes AD_44-47_Radar Art Sassan_11258184.indd 4429/03/2020 02:34:03 PMW hen the municipality of Saint-Jean-Cap- Ferrat, a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in the south east of France, decided to establish a cultural space, it realised there was no better inauguration event than a solo exhibition by the regional artist Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar. A French painter of Iranian descent, he had recently held successful solo exhibitions in Dusseldorf and London, and has long been a face on Monaco’s buzzing art scene. “His understanding of life, humanity and connection to nature refl ects the visions of the old masters who resided here,” says Cap Ferrat’s Mayor Jean-Francois Dieterich. “His creative style and techniques are reminiscent of the old French artists – the way he brings in movement, light and colour. It’s as though he came from another time, with a real connec- tion to the peninsula.” Entitled Rebirth, Behnam-Bakhtiar’s forth- coming exhibition – set to open in June – fea- tures two public installations and more than 30 new paintings. Across the pieces are themes of connecting with nature, living in harmony, and realising one’s internal poten- tial. A shift in tone from his previous show, Extremis, which focused on the artist’s “dark and traumatic past”, the new body of work depicts scenes and landscapes from Cap Ferrat, while expressing “movement, light, feelings and memory, as well as their impact on one’s life, spiritually, psychologically and physically”. “My past is anything but normal,” he says. “I endured a series of unfortunate events, which pushed me to focus on the simple yet important things. Once you are stripped of your freedom and everything you possess, you start to think of life diff erently. While I was pushed towards this change by my circum- stances, I believe that anyone can have the same awakening – we all have the ability to understand life and speak its language.” Rebirth’s oil paintings feature Behnam- Bakhtiar’s signature peinture raclée technique – an intricate style of scraping, relaying and spreading numerous blends of colour over particular points. The result of a seven-year experiment in trying to express the energy he felt, peinture raclée is the artist’s way of com- FROM TOP: Sassan Behnam- Bakhtiar with a selection of his vibrant canvases; the sapphire blue water of Saint- Jean-Cap-Ferrat. OPPOSITE PAGE: L’Arbre de Vie (Blanc) 2019, oil on linen. AD_44-47_Radar Art Sassan_11258184.indd 4529/03/2020 03:02:03 PMmunicating and connecting with his audience. The paintings provide abstract refl ections of local landscapes that are, in many ways, meaningful to the artist himself, such as Transcendence, which was inspired by the art- ist’s experience witnessing water evaporate during sunrise. “It seemed as though I was witnessing a soul gathering,” says Behnam- Bakhtiar. “It was heartwarming… as if nature was speaking. The colourful fl owers in the background and the green trees under the dark blue and orange sky made me want to paint it, so I did.” Other paintings in the series, such as Trees of Paradise, Falling Rose of Light, and Forest of Life, further refl ect the peninsu- la’s picturesque environment, and his experi- ence of it, including the rocky shorelines, the tall, centuries-old Aleppo pine trees, and the raw French Alps, which take on a diff erent character with the shifting seasons. “Understanding our connection to nature is a very good step toward realising that we are not alone, and that there is a limitless source of energy on this Earth, waiting to be used,” says Behnam-Bakhtiar. “We just need to con- nect with it, and in order to do so, we need to fi rst connect with ourselves.” Refl ecting the themes of the paintings, two public installations will be placed at diff erent points in the city, including the Place Des Ancience Combattants D’A.F.N. and the Espace de la Théâtre sur la mer. The treated wrought iron sculptures feature the human fi gures depicted in his Rituals series and are intended to serve as gentle reminders to con- nect with life and nature. “The new pieces are fi lled with movement and light, which has always been an important part of my work,” says Behnam-Bakhtiar. “I have focused on bringing to life what I see all around me in nature. As an artist, to depict this beautiful movement and nature’s dance is primordial, and you can see this through my eyes in these new works.” He hopes that the Rebirth series will inspire an inner awakening for those observing the pieces, leaving them something to think about and perhaps even triggering a positive change in their lives. Waking this dormant energy is, after all, the basis of the exhibition’s title. “The new artworks will remind us of the importance of living in harmony with nature,” concludes Mayor Dieterich. “There is value in understanding that the social world is not everything – taking a step back from that is benefi cial to our wellbeing in so many ways.” Rebirth will take place from 4 June to 30 June 2020 at the Saint-Jean- Cap-Ferrat Cultural Space (Villa Namouna).–RIMA AL S AMMARAE “I have focused on bringing to life what I see all around me in nature” AD_44-47_Radar Art Sassan_11258184.indd 4630/03/2020 11:54:14 AMRA D A R /A rt 47 ABOVE: Jungle Love 2018, oil on canvas. OPPOSITE PAGE FROM TOP: A view of Villa Cuccia-Noya, where the private view of Rebirth is taking place. The villa is owned by the distinguished art enthusiast and collector Basil Sellers. AD_44-47_Radar Art Sassan_11258184.indd 4729/03/2020 03:02:44 PM48 RA D A R / F o c u s BATHING BEAUTIES Take your bathroom to the next level with high-tech products inspired by jewellery and ancient Rome The high-end bathroom specialist Jaquar Group was founded in India in 1960 with a mission to meld product innovation, value and ele- vated aesthetics. Today, it has a presence in 45 countries, including showrooms in London, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Riyadh and Dubai. Each flagship off ers a complete bathroom lifestyle experience, where guests can see prod- ucts and features in action. Visitors can concep- tualise their own dream space with professional designer input, as well as discussing technical issues. Better still, after purchasing, Jaquar takes care of installation and maintenance. Manufacturing sustainably is a challenge for a company that produces more than 28 million bath fittings annually, but one Jaquar Group has embraced. 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The Tiaara faucet’s curvaceous design looks like something in an art gallery, but when swung clockwise, it functions flawlessly as a tap. Another standout Artize product, the Tailwater, was designed by London-based studio Denelon Meroni, and won a 2018 Red Dot Design Award. The sleek faucet was inspired by nature and the lines of contemporary architecture. It’s reminis- cent of a bird perched on the edge of a pool, and the ‘tail’ moves smoothly left and right (for tem- perature control) and can be tilted backwards to release the water. Under the Jaquar label, the Arc collection by Federico Meroni draws on Roman architecture and engineering to create arcs of water which fall smoothly onto the user’s hands. The faucet also off ers a soft water flow thanks to aerators. In Dubai, customers can find the Tiaara, Tailwater, Arc collection, and other award-winning prod- ucts at Jaquar World on the Sheikh Zayed Road. middleeast.jaquar.com – REBECCA HOLLAND AD_48-49_Radar Jacquar_11256318.indd 4829/03/2020 03:04:04 PMABOVE: A contemporary, open-plan bathroom design from the luxury Artize label. FROM NEAR RIGHT: The sculptural Tiaara faucet; the Tailwater design by Denelon Meroni. “The company ’s forward-looking design approach has seen it win many awards” AD_48-49_Radar Jacquar_11256318.indd 4929/03/2020 03:04:13 PMNext >