PLANS FOR DUBAI’S MODERN ART MUSEUM; INDIA’S $1.2 MILLION FOR NEW MUSEUMS
UN Studio architect Ben van Berkel flew to Dubai last week to discuss his $437 million Museum of Middle Eastern Modern Art (Momema), reports Vikki Miller on Building Design. The centerpiece of Dubai Properties’ $13 billion Cultural Village project, the scheme will be the region’s first museum of Middle East modern art. The design brings together elements of the sea and Dubai’s tradition of seafaring, and is based on the silhouette of an Arabian dhow sailing boat. The 270,000-square-foot museum will be on an island on its own in the middle of the village. At one end of the museum will be a sixty-room hotel, as well as restaurants and retail space. The village will also feature an amphitheater, an exhibition hall, and a shipyard for traditional dhow builders. Construction for the museum is expected to start in eight months’ time and should be complete by 2011. Van Berkel said: “The building is positioned to take full advantage of the prominent location in the Culture Village. With its dhowlike prow rising up, the building offers panoramic views to the surroundings, and vice versa. There are never too many people; this museum thrives on audiences, vernissages, and spectacle. In the Momema, public, event, art, and business meet each other and feed on each other.” Renderings can be found on here.
According to India’s Business Standard, the Indian government has decided to provide financial assistance for setting up new museums in the country, a move recommended by the nation’s Planning Commission. “We have decided to provide financial assistance up to $1.2 million for setting up of new museums as part of the revised scheme for promotion and strengthening of museums across the country,” a senior Culture Ministry official said. Beside encouraging new museums to come up, the ministry has also developed plans to increase attendance in existing museums. “Training and refresher courses for the museum staff are to be included as an integral part of the revised scheme now,” the official said.
