'A Park to Park'

While the sharing of an AI-generated image over the weekend led people to wonder if the garages would be demolished, the story turned out not only be true, but also an official act of government. As Christian Kerez shared via Instagram yesterday: 

“The head of the Muharraq Municipal Council, Abdulaziz Al-Najjar, revealed to Al-Watan that the removal of the parking lots (‘Pearling Path’) comes as part of a comprehensive development vision for the historic city of Muharraq and the surrounding areas, including the vicinity of Isa Al-Kabeer Palace. He added that the project aims to create a suitable entrance to the palace and falls within the requirements of the development project of the historic city of Muharraq, which was ordered by His Majesty the King.”

The garages were used “consistently,” per Kerez, over the course of their brief three years of existence. As revealed in a short film made by Alex Xiaotan Yang (embedded below, via Vimeo), their uses often went beyond the storage of cars. As described by the filmmaker, “The film observes the incidental life that unfolds beyond its function as parking lots, where spaces narrates a sense of community that encourages gathering, play, and prayer. The observations opened a wider discussion about roles of infrastructure in shaping the future of public space, and how anticipatory design may allow a space to accommodate change throughout time.”