Dubai: Dubai Metro stations will soon play host to a variety of museums displaying artworks as well as offering a peep into civilisations, inventions and creativity, Gulf News has learnt.
Work on transforming the stations will begin in the next few weeks, with the museums to be ready within a year to coincide with the launch of Art Dubai 2015. However, the stations will continue to perform their primary role of smooth and safe transport for all.
The initiative, which was launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will add a new aspect to the transportation experience in the emirate and create an encouraging environment for art, culture and creativity.
Shaikh Mohammad viewed a presentation on the Dubai Metro Museum project on Monday, accompanied by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, and Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai.
“Creativity and beauty are an essential part of our culture and identity, and is part of our daily life. Our aim is to enhance the quality of life and transport, and transform Dubai Metro stations into destinations of culture, creativity and aesthetics,” said Shaikh Mohammad, following the launch of the project.
Four themes
In the first phase, four stations have been identified for the project, with each to be transformed according to one particular theme. Islamic art and Arabic calligraphy, inventions, contemporary art and visual art will be the four themes around which the four Metro musuems will be set up.
The Islamic Art and Arabic calligraphy museum will feature a collection of artworks inspired by Islamic art and its evolution over the past 1,400 years. The art pieces will be varied between manuscripts, mosaics, jewelleries, in addition to other exhibits and paintings.
The inventions museum will offer an interactive learning experience, bringing to life the most important inventions in human history. The inventions will cover engineering, medicine, astronomy, math and geography.
The contemporary art museum will highlight modern art through various collections that reflect creative expressions. It will include paintings, designs, graphics and models.
The visual art museum will throw light on the contemporary visual art scene through showcasing a number of films, multimedia works and recorded materials. The museums will be equipped with smart applications and advanced technologies in line with Dubai’s Smart Initiative launched by Shaikh Mohammad.
Boost to art scene
“The art will add richly to the daily life in Dubai where the museums will become key destinations in our society, and a primary component of the details of daily life. The UAE has been playing a vital role in boosting the art scene on both the Arab and global stages, and managed to serve as a cultural bridge between the East and the West,” he added.
Shaikh Mohammad said that art is a global language that unifies all human beings and brings together people of various nationalities, cultures and languages, and removes barriers between them.
Welcoming the initiative, Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the coard and executive director of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said, Shaikh Mohammad’s initiative would add a new element of attraction to passengers and an aesthetic dimension to the Metro stations.
Al Tayer said the RTA will coordinate with the Dubai Culture and other relevant authorities to immediately put Shaikh Mohammad’s initiative into action and work on transforming Metro stations into cultural and art museums. “Operational aspects of the Metro stations will be taken into consideration so as not to affect the traffic movement and the travelling of passengers through Metro stations, as well as to ensure that all safety and security standards are in place,” he added.
As many as 137 million passengers travelled on Dubai Metro last year, accounting for 500,000 people a day, making it the most preferred public transport mode in the city.
Dubai Metro is the world’s largest driverless Metro network, spreading across 75 kilometres passing through the heart of Dubai, The network is supported by 48 stations across two lines and has so far served 375.546 million passengers since its launch in 2009.
With inputs from WAM
