Lest We Forget

In recent decades, the development of Abu Dhabi has taken an enormous leap. Although the history of the region can be traced back almost two millennia, the traditional nomadic way of life left few material traces. This exhibition was about preserving individual memory, which stands at the core of local heritage in this fast-changing landscape. It fulfills this mandate by featuring a selection of vernacular photographs spanning over 49 years.

The original version of the exhibition was presented in May 2013 at Sheikh Zayed University in Abu Dhabi. It featured the collective work of 50 female students, including a book that brought together over 200 personal Emirati family photographs, and the works of art they had created to interpret them. Along with the book and the photographs, this creative process is underscored in the exhibition.

A series of pieces of art—installations, photo collages, and media productions—were created by students in response to the collection of personal photographs. These new pieces were also an important part of the original exhibition in 2013 and served as a foundation for our 2015 version, where each piece was displayed in its own mashrabiya-inspired enclosed space.

A workshop-type space was created at the heart of the exhibition, a nod to the university context where the Lest We Forget project took shape. In it, three custom-designed interactive games brought the art of archiving, sorting, and tagging photographs to life, shining a playful light on a subject that could otherwise be considered dry.