I.M. Pei’s self-described final cultural building: the new Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar. Pei didn’t know from Islam when he was commissioned to do this building, so he reportedly studied the life of Muhammad, and studied Islamic ‘architecture of defense,’ became interested ‘in fortifications.’ So an admittedly Muslim-ignorant, Chinese-born American architect makes a museum-as-fortress paid for by the rising financial power of the money of the Persian Gulf—no wonder Ouroussoff sounds a little stilted and nervous in his writing about this museum.
Jen Graves (The Stranger’s former arts critic) mostly writes about things you approach with your eyeballs. But she’s also a history nerd interested in anything that needs more talking about, from male... More by Jen Graves
I lived in some I.M. Pei dormitories over the summer at Princeton. They were concrete and glass, 3 story things that looked like modern apartments.
Unfortunately they were completely sealed with no ventilation because they had been designed for central air conditioning — which had never been installed due to cost. With the fishbowl style all glass walls, and summer sunshine, the average temperature in my room was about 95 degrees.
This is why my friends and I monickered Mr. Pei an Architect of Disaster.
It is different enough to be a curiosity. But if it was an architectural metaphor for Islam, then it looks like a prison. Just saying.
Are you from New York? Or do you just not know from grammar?
it will be interesting to see how the UAE functions when “The West” is flat broke.
When I saw this image in the paper this morning, the first thing that occurred to me is “huh, that kinda looks like a clunky set design for a regional opera production of Salome.”
John Balio said
I don’t think this claim rings true. Anybody believe him?
Writing about architecture just encourages Ayn Rand fans.