Material & Land Narratives explores the regenerative potential of earthen materials and land narratives with a line-up of activities. These include an introduction by curator Tosin Oshinowo, followed by a panel discussion with Joelle Eyeson and Kwame Deheer (co-founders of Hive Earth), Mahavir Acharya (co-founder of Hunnarshala), Sumaya Dabbagh (founder of Dabbagh Architects) and Felipe Gutierrez (Architect and building conservator at the Department of Tourism and Culture in Abu Dhabi), moderated by Wayne Switzer (Architect and Educator). The programme concludes with a talk by SAT participant DAAR (Decolonizing Architecture Art Research) – Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti.
Earlier in the day, Felipe Gutierrez will lead a Workshop on Earth Architecture: Material and building techniques and, in parallel, curator Oshinowo will lead a walkthrough tour of the exhibition at Al Qasimiyah School.
Full information on these events and timings is provided below. To register, please click here.
Workshop on Earthen Architecture: Material and Building Techniques
11:00 - 13:00
Capacity: 15 participants
Architect and building conservator, Felipe Gutierrez will lead a workshop exploring earthen materials used in local traditional building techniques. Participants will learn about the earth as a building material and will be able to identify the soils that are suitable for construction. The workshop will comprise several application techniques of earthen mixtures, allowing participants to construct masonry blocks, formulating natural plasters and creating prototypes of traditional earth wall constructions. This workshop will be supported by a team of artisans from the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi.
Curator walkthrough led by Tosin Oshinowo
11:00 - 13:00
Oshinowo will lead visitors on a walkthrough of SAT projects located at Al Qasimiyah School as she elaborates on the vision and concept of each project in relation to the Triennial’s theme.
Introduction by Tosin Oshinowo
14:00 - 14.20
In her introduction, Oshinowo expands on the theme for this edition titled “The Beauty of Impermanence: An Architecture of Adaptability.” She categorizes the represented practices into three overlapping curatorial strands: Renewed Contextual, Intangible Bodies, and Extraction Politics. Oshinowo elaborates on the ideas behind these strands, contextualizing the talks that follow.
Panel discussion: Material and Land Narratives
14:20 - 15:45
Featuring Joelle Eyeson and Kwame Deheer (co-founders of Hive Earth), Mahavir Acharya (co-founder of Hunnarshala), Sumaya Dabbagh (founder of Dabbagh Architects), and Felipe Gutierrez (Architect and building conservator at the Department of Tourism and Culture in Abu Dhabi), this panel discussion focuses on the opportunities and challenges of building with local earthen materials using traditional building techniques. It also aims to explore the social dimension of traditional building practices and their intrinsic relation to the local communities. The session will be moderated by Wayne Switzer, an architect and educator working at the intersection of materials and building culture.
This panel ties back to ‘Re-Materialize,’ an initiative of Sharjah Architecture Triennial that maps the making of environmentally conscious materials and supports designers who use sustainable and recycled local materials in their practice.
Talk by DAAR’s Sandi Hilal & Alessandro Petti: DECOLONIZING ARCHITECTURE
16:00 - 17:30
DAAR (Decolonizing Architecture Art Research), led by Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti, present their extensive two-decade research-based art and architectural practice. Beginning with their SAT02 project, ‘Concrete Tent,’ activated as a space for collective mourning gatherings and solidarity with Palestine. The second part delves into their ongoing collective research programme, the “Afterlives of fascist-colonial architecture," which studies and proposes the reuse of colonial, fascist, and modernist architectures for aims different from what they were designed for. Lastly DAAR discusses two recent projects aiming to create spaces for collective inhabitation and practicing of communing.
Press Office
For further information, or to request interviews with Tosin Oshinowo, please contact:
Pelham Communications, T +44 (0) 20 8969 3959, @pelhamcomms
Rel Hayman:
[email protected]
Sharjah Architecture Triennial, T +971 50 261 4423, @sharjaharchitecture
Anum Laghari:
[email protected]
Notes to Editors
About Sharjah Architecture Triennial
Founded in 2018 by Khalid Al Qasimi, Sharjah Architecture Triennial (SAT) is a platform for architecture and urbanism in a region that extends from West Asia to South Asia and the African continent. Physically anchored in Sharjah and the United Arab Emirates, SAT aims to engage diverse audiences and stakeholders in a collective conversation on architecture at the neighbourhood, city, and regional levels. Institutional research and programming support on-going critical reflection through exhibitions, publications, and public programmes in tandem with its international editions. SAT is committed to pursuing a multi-disciplinary approach that fosters an understanding of the broader role of architecture, including its relation to social and environmental issues
Tosin Oshinowo
SAT02 Curator Tosin Oshinowo is a Lagos-based Nigerian architect and designer. The founder and principal of Oshinowo Studio (formerly cmDesign Atelier), which she formed in 2013, Oshinowo has worked on a number of civic, commercial and residential projects throughout Nigeria. She is renowned for her insights into socially responsive approaches to architecture, design and urbanism. Oshinowo’s key designs include a project with the United Nations Development Programme to build an entirely new community in northern Nigeria for a village displaced by Boko Haram, and the Maryland Mall in Lagos. Her work spans into the conceptual sphere, demonstrating a strong interest in architectural history while embodying a contemporary perspective on the next generation of African design, innovation, and afro-minimalism. She partnered with Lexus on conceptual design explorations for Design Miami/ 2020 and co-curated the second Lagos Biennial in 2019. Oshinowo is a registered Architect in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Before founding Oshinowo Studio, she worked in the offices of Skidmore Owings & Merrill in London and the Office of Metropolitan Architecture Rotterdam, where she was part of the team that designed the 4th Mainland Bridge proposal in 2008. Upon returning to Lagos, she practised at James Cubitt Architects and led on notable projects, including the corporate head office building for Nigeria LNG in Port Harcourt. She has a BA in Architecture from Kingston University, London; an MSc in Development and Planning: Building and Urban Design in Development, University College London; an AA Diploma from the Architecture Association London and a Masters in Business for Architecture and Design from IE University, Madrid.
Hoor Al Qasimi
Hoor Al Qasimi is the President, Director and Curator of Sharjah Art Foundation which she established in 2009 as a catalyst and advocate for the arts in Sharjah, UAE, as well as regionally and internationally. With a passion for supporting experimentation and innovation in the arts, Al Qasimi has continuously expanded the scope of the Foundation over its 10-year history to include major exhibitions that have toured internationally; artist and curator residencies in visual art, film and music; commissions and production grants for emerging artists; and a wide range of educational programming in Sharjah for both children and adults. In 2003, Al Qasimi co-curated Sharjah Biennial 6 and has since continued as Biennial Director. Under Al Qasimi’s leadership, the Sharjah Biennial has become an internationally recognised platform for contemporary artists, curators and cultural producers. Her leadership in the field led to her election as President of the International Biennial Association (IBA) in 2017, an appointment that transferred IBA’s headquarters to Sharjah. Complementing her role at the Foundation, Al Qasimi also serves as the President of The Africa Institute and President of the Sharjah Architecture Triennial, which inaugurated its first edition in November 2019. Al Qasimi served as curator of the second Lahore Biennale, which opened in January 2020 across the city of Lahore, Pakistan. Al Qasimi serves on the Board of Directors for Kunst-Werke Berlin e. V. in Germany and Ashkal Alwan in Beirut, Lebanon. She is the Chair of the Advisory Board for the College of Fine Arts and Design at the University of Sharjah and is a member of the advisory boards for Khoj International Artists’ Association, New Delhi, India and Darat al Funun, Amman, Jordan.
Sumaya Dabbagh
Sumaya Dabbagh is a Saudi architect and founder of Dabbagh Architects in 2008. Since training and working in the UK and Europe, her contextual designs combine a mix of influences and sensitivities towards both Western and Middle Eastern cultures. She is curious about the impact of tangible, built forms around us, and notions of memory, identity, and belonging within architecture. Recent projects include The Mleiha Archaeological Centre, which has been globally recognised for its new emerging approach to architecture in the region; The Gargash Mosque; and the design of the Al-Ain Museum. Dabbagh was a founder of the RIBA Gulf Chapter, where she served as Chair (2015-2019). She won Principal of the Year at the Middle East Architect Awards and was a finalist at The Tamayouz Award for Women of Outstanding Achievements in 2019. She was also nominated for The Aga Khan Award, and her work has been featured in international publications such as Phaidon’s Breaking Ground, Architecture by Women.
Hive Earth: Joelle Eyeson and Kwame Deheer
Hive Earth is a multi-disciplinary space based in Accra, Ghana, founded by Joelle Eyeson and Kwame Deheer in 2017. The studio comprises architects and designers who specialize in using locally sourced and eco-friendly materials for construction, interior decor, art, and design. Drawing from African tradition and using local and natural materials, the studio explores the innovative and sustainable potential of earth. In particular, the studio has conducted extensive research into building multiple structures with rammed earth – a combination of earth, gravel, silt, clay, and lime/cement – as well as agro-waste. Recent projects by the studio include an unstabilised rammed earth library with NGO Archifair and a four-storey office block in Accra with Adjaye Associates.
Mahavir Acharya
Mahavir Acharya, an engineer and one of the founders of Hunnarshala Foundation, currently serves as the Managing Director of AINA (Artisan in Architecture). With extensive experience in building technologies, including earth, stone, and bamboo, he collaborates with local master artisans. His expertise extends to post-disaster rehabilitation, addressing earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods. As an active member of the Community Architect Network and the Asian Coalition of Housing Rights networks in Bangkok, Mr. Acharya closely collaborates with communities. He conducts training workshops for artisans, homeowners, professionals, and government officials. Previously, he contributed to post-earthquake rebuilding efforts in Nepal and is currently involved with the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, designing community-built homestays in tribal villages. Acharya's work also focuses on green building materials and technologies, including shallow masonry domes, stabilized adobe, and rammed earth with lime and GGBS (Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag).
Felipe Gutierrez
A Colombian Architect currently working as a senior specialist for the conservation of earthen heritage buildings and archaeological sites at the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi (UAE). He holds a master’s degree in Earthen Architecture from CRAterre-ENSAG in France. Through his practice, he strives for high-quality sustainable solutions for the management and conservation of built cultural heritage, highlighting historical values, constructive cultures and helping to preserve local traditions on World Heritage sites.
Wayne Switzer
Wayne Switzer is an architect and educator working at the intersection of construction, academia, and material culture. His research and teaching focuses on contemporary earthen construction as a central element to promoting a “circular” building culture in the Middle East region. Since January 2024, he oversees the Material Archive at the Stiftung Sitterwerk in Switzerland. As a professor in Architecture at the German University of Technology in Oman, Wayne established the EBI platform (Earthen Building Initiative), organizing the first ever Symposium in the Sultanate on this topic. He has been invited as a guest critic or lecturer at various institutions, including: EPF Lausanne and the ETH Zürich.After completing his architectural studies at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, USA in 2007, he worked for offices in Vienna, Austria and in New York City. Recent publications include a contribution to “Thinking-Making: When Architects engage in Construction” (2021). In addition, he maintains an architectural practice: Atelier Switzer.
DAAR – Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti
The artistic research practice of DAAR – Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti – is situated between architecture, art, pedagogy, and politics. Over the last two decades, they have developed a series of research-projects that are both theoretically ambitious and practically engaged in the struggle for justice and equality. In their artistic research practice, art exhibitions are both sites of display and sites of action that spill over into other contexts: built architectural structures, the shaping of critical learning environments, interventions that challenge dominant collective narratives, the production of new political imaginations, the formation of civic spaces and the re-definition of concepts. DAAR has participated in multiple editions of the Venice Biennale (2003-2021), the Berlin Biennale (2022), the Istanbul Biennial (2009), the São Paulo Biennial (2014) and the Marrakesh Biennial (2016), among others. Recent major retrospective exhibitions have taken place at the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven (2019), Mosaic Room in London (2022), and La Loge in Brussels (2023). Their artistic practice has been awarded The Keith Haring Fellowship in Art and Activism at Bard College and The Golden Lion for Best Participation at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, for their long-standing commitment to deep political engagement with architectural and learning practices of decolonization in Palestine and Europe.
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