Muscat, Oman. There are two things I miss in Muscat: public spaces and exhibition spaces. Where would be an urban outdoor place for temporary events that is accessible for all?
We were looking for such a place in vain, when we wanted to exhibit some delicately constructed models that students had built in a workshop. For lack of any other option we decided to turn the small football pitch outside of the university into an exhibition ground. The concreted surface was elevated just one step above the parking lot that surrounded it. A subtle, but suitable ground for an exhibition. However, the finely built models would have vanished unless they were set off against a strong background. So we went to buy red paint, and found out that any colour that was not in the range between white and cream was not to be used for any outside wall in Muscat. With promises to only use it on the ground we finally managed to buy the colour and turn the football pitch into a temporary exhibition space. Lights for the outdoor event was to come from cars arranged around the field.
The sun went down behind the petrol station. We started the engines of our cars and switched on the headlights. The first visitors that arrived were asked to park around the “red square”, keep the engines running and beam up the lights. The student’s models and the visitors cast multiple shadows over the red ground. The sound and smell of the cars made it a very Muscat experience. Mixing and mingling began. For one hour that night we managed to create both, a public and an exhibition space in Muscat.