The Beauty of Impermanence: An Architecture of Adaptability. Sharjah Architecture Triennial, Sharjah, UAE
Sharjah Architecture Triennial participates in international conversations about architecture that have a resonance at local and regional levels and reflects on the Gulf's shared social, economic, and cultural ties with a wider region extending from West Asia to South Asia and the African continent.
The Beauty of Impermanence: An Architecture of Adaptability is a theme of the second edition. It’s a metaphor that draws attention to the built environment’s design and technological innovations visible in the global South—these solutions are borne out of conditions of scarcity that are working within the limitations of the natural resources available. In contrast, the last 400 years have seen the global North exercise an approach to scarcity, through cornucopianism, which stems from the optimism that our natural resources, though limited, can be extended infinitely. The global North, through land conquest, slavery, resource extraction, and technological advancement—all justified by mythological and religious beliefs has encouraged the positioning that mankind has infinitely been ordained to multiply with dominion over all things. Even today, we still see remnants of exploitation through the brutal conflict and displacement of communities by conquering powers that be.
Adrian Pepe presents a site-specific installation “Utility of Being: A Paradox of Proximity” that is conceived from the gathered pelts of the fat-tailed Awassi sheep — a byproduct of the slaughtering process. Staged within the Old Slaughterhouse of Sharjah, the installation comprises pneumatic tubular forms echoing the visceral lines of animal entrails. The continuously inflated bodies reclaim the space while suspended from the hooks and rails originally used for handling animal carcasses. The work serves as a metaphor for understanding the tension that lies at the edge of survival and commerce, challenging notions of human-animal relationality, the alchemy of material processes, and the fragility of biological existence.The Awassi sheep is the most widespread, non-European breed in southwest Asia. The extended shared history between early humans and sheep speaks to an intricate, multidimensional relationship, enabling both to proliferate as a single unit in expanding territories. In life, the sheep provide nourishment and an ongoing supply of raw materials like milk, wool, and manure as fertilizer. Following its demise, often an outcome of sacrifice, its biomass is consumed as meat. The inedible parts, including the skin, bones, and sinew, were traditionally processed and transformed fully to make utilitarian objects such as containers, paper, clothing, and shelter. The latter paved the way for numerous specialized craft sectors, turning animal remains into objects of cultural significance. Amid rapid industrialization, urbanization, and globalization, one witnesses a waning of indigenous forms of production and with it the significance of this animal’s substantial offerings in contemporary society.
Video courtesy of NIKA Project Space
Photos below:
1,3,5 - Danko Stjepanovic. Courtesy of SAT
4 - Alessandro Fagioli
6 - Omar Al Gurg
