Barker Langham » Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage

Assilah Arts Festival

colinsterling — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:07:29 +0000

The United Arab Emirates was Guest of Honour at the 32nd Annual Assilah Arts Festival and commissioned Barker Langham to curate two exhibitions to celebrate UAE culture and heritage. We developed the content, managed the design and wrote the script for two leading exhibitions.

1. Continuity and Transformation: A Celebration of the Heritage of the United Arab Emirates
Located in the Al Khamra Tower in the old Medina, this exhibition explored the origins and contemporary applications of the UAE’s distinctive heritage. The installations embraced both tangible and intangible heritage, showcasing what shaped this vibrant culture, from the country’s striking natural landscape to the spirit and traditions of the people.

2. Cultural and Educational Projects of the United Arab Emirates
With the historic Raissouni Palace as a backdrop, this exhibition was a celebration of the UAE’s belief in the value and power of culture and education, highlighting the best cultural and academic projects flourishing in the UAE.

Wilfred Thesiger and the Freedom of the Desert

colinsterling — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:33:54 +0000

British explorer and photographer Wilfred Thesiger, known to those close to him as Mubarak bin London – “the blessed one from London” – crossed the Empty Quarter Desert twice during the 1940s. His remarkable story can be seen in the first permanent photographic exhibition of his work, curated by Barker Langham, at the Al Jahili Fort in the oasis city of Al Ain.

For the exhibition, we undertook a significant amount of archival research, selecting appropriate and engaging content and collections to curate the exhibition spaces. As well as being integral to the production of support materials, which included bespoke learning resources and a short documentary film, Barker Langham also authored and edited the accompanying exhibition catalogue, which was a bestseller at the Abu Dhabi Book Fair.

The success of this exhibition has led to our appointment as oral historians, interviewing former Trucial Oman Scouts who were based at Al Jahili Fort in the 1960s.

Al Jahili Fort

colinsterling — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:32:34 +0000

Al Jahili is a historic fort in Al Ain, one of the largest and most impressive in the country. Barker Langham were commissioned to develop a number of key interpretive elements as part of a comprehensive restoration and rehabilitation project of this important site.

We curated Mubarak Bin London, the first major permanent exhibition of Wilfred Thesiger’s photographs. Our work included brokering an on-going partnership between our client and the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, who house the Thesiger photographic collection. Our team provided a comprehensive curatorial service, including initial research and storyline development, picture selection and script-writing. We edited and wrote the accompanying exhibition catalogue, a best-seller at the Abu Dhabi Book Fair. We also commissioned and worked with a media producer to create an introductory film shown within the exhibition.

Barker Langham also developed a temporary exhibition about the Jahili Fort rehabilitation project, focusing on the archaeological excavation, use of traditional building techniques and use of cutting-edge sustainable technologies.

We are currently working with a local media producer to develop an immersive walk-through A/V installation on the history of Al Ain, to be housed in the former watchtower. We are also carrying out an oral history project of the British soldiers who were stationed at Jahili to garner further insights into the social history of the fort.