Dubai Metro stations to be transformed into art galleries

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, gave his directions to transform Dubai Metro stations into art museums displaying artworks and creations from different themes and cultures.

This unique initiative aims at making arts and creativity accessible to all segments of the society and providing Dubai Metro passengers with a unique and entertaining experience. It also aims at enhancing the UAE’s international position in general and Dubai’s in particular as a vital supporter for arts and artists.

Shaikh Mohammed was briefed on Dubai Metro Museum project and its different implementation stages. The presentation was attended by Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai.

Shaikh Mohammed gave his directions for the project to be completed within 12 months and to synchronise the launch with the commencement of “Art Dubai 2015”.

Shaikh Mohammed said: “We want to reach everyone through arts. We want creativity to reach every individual in the society. We want to inspire and communicate with every employee on his way to work, every student on his way to pursuing education and every tourist visiting Dubai.

“We want to transform Dubai Metro stations to museums accompanying passengers to all destinations.”

His Highness also said that “the UAE has been playing a vital role in supporting arts in the Arab region and in the world for years. The UAE provides a cultural bridge that links the east to the west. Art is a universal language that has the power to unite humanity and bring people from different languages, nationalities and cultures together. It removes barriers that seems to separate them from one another.

“We will continue to create motivational environments to support arts and culture and highlight the creative and artistic aspects of Dubai. Our purpose is to lead a creative renaissance for all the cultural and artistic aspects of life in Dubai,” Shaikh Mohammed added.

With more than 137 million visitors in 2013 and an average of 500,000 visitors a day, Dubai Metro Museum initiative aims at creating an artistic environment with a wide reach to inspire creativity and innovation.

Phase one of the project will include transforming four vital metro stations into art museums. Each of the museums will have a specific theme that highlights a specific aspect of arts or cultures. The interior and exterior designs of the museums will reflect their themes. Islamic arts and Arabic Calligraphy Museum, Inventions Museum, Contemporary Art Museum and Visual Art Museum will be launched during phase one.

The Islamic art and Arabic Calligraphy Museum will include a collection of artworks inspired by the Islamic art and its development phases over 1,400 years. Manuscripts, ceramics and jewellery will be some of the items on display which highlight the art and cultural aspects of the times they represent. Calligraphy paintings will also be on display to give visitors a taste of the Arabic calligraphy art and its development through the different ages.

Inventions Museum will offer the visitors from different ages a unique and interactive educational experience that illustrates the most important human inventions in different fields such as engineering, medicine, astronomy, mathematics, geography and many other fields. It will also include the contribution of the most important inventors in human history from all ages including the very age we live in.

The Contemporary Art Museum will offer a unique and comprehensive view on modern art through a collection which reflects the sense of contemporary creative expression. It will have paintings, designs, graphic illustrations, models, and many other items that reflect the expressive and intellectual styles which have been created by contemporary artists from different parts of the world.

Visual Art Museum will highlight the contemporary visual art scene through screening movies and documentaries, and displaying multimedia content of cultural and artistic essence. The visual art museum will give its visitors the opportunity to share their work and have it on display as well.

These museums will be provided with state-of-the-art technology and smart and interactive mobile applications in line with Smart Dubai initiative that was launched lately by Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world. Dubai Metro Museum will be an educational and a cultural opportunity on different art related topics. It will encourage people to interact with the displayed artworks. It will also contribute to increasing awareness levels of the importance of art in everyday life.