Lomography

from the jamjar: Discovering Al Quoz' : Discovery Walks take place on 8th and 15th October 2011 and begin at thejamjar at 8am. In the past few years the industrial district of Al Quoz has established itself as an unlikely art centre in Dubai, with more and more galleries nestling within its warehouses, including thejamjar. Aside from this, a diverse range of companies have flocked to the area, from creative agencies, to design stores, to car showrooms, to cement factories. This district is also a home to many and bears the signs of domestic life in the colourful lines of flapping laundry marking hotel staff accommodation blocks, and the long established homes of Emirati families, veteran residents of Al Quoz 1. Through the Discovery Walks, participants will explore these diverse and often surprising elements of Al Quoz for themselves. Starting out from thejamjar, participants will traverse Al Quoz during two hour long walks, recording the journey through mapping, photography and other digital media, notes and collecting. People will then meet back at thejamjar to briefly discuss the findings. The Discovery Walks are open to anyone interested and people are free to come along not only on foot, but on bikes, skateboards and rollerblades. Info kits containing maps will also be available from thejamjar so that people can do their own Al Quoz walks between 8th – 28th October, prior to the Al Quoz Route workshop on 29th October where all participants will share their findings. As Yunsun Chung-Shin, Director of tasmena comments, “Al Quoz is another ‘Extreme Locality’ in Dubai in its appearance, sounds, textures and flavours. The Discovery Walks create the opportunity to engage with this area and its community and peel back its different layers, sparking ideas to initiate design.