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Public Art in Qatar

The emergence of public art installations, especially those that are environment-related, serves the role of strengthening the sense of our (humans) accountability over other (nonhumans) species. Although, all these public art installations are meant to engage people through various interpretations, they also strongly encourage people to internalize an ecological responsibility through the power of art. It is very important to understand that environmental justice is not limited to an equal treatment among humans, but rather it is a significant involvement of both humans and nonhumans. Thus, this paper will explore 4 different public art installations that are based in Qatar, meticulously showcasing the relationship between the human and nonhuman world.

The Force of Nature II is a depiction of Mother Nature holding on to our world, illustrating an image of balance between the Earth and its navigator. Quinn’s artwork undermines the prerogative power that humans possess, and rather emphasizes the absolute authority of Mother Nature over us. The sculpture also portrays a perilous planet that aims to remind humans living with a ‘false sense of security’ of the power Mother Nature possesses, and how she awakens to fury every time humans invoke disruptions and harm upon the planet. For this case, we could consider environmental justice from Lietner’s ‘Ecological security for whom’ article. 

Falcon by Tom Claasen is a depiction and appreciation of regional wildlife. The uniqueness of the sculpture lies in the congruence between the reverent treatment and the salience of non-human life. Falcon is the symbol of national identity as a national bird representing the aviation routes established by Qatar across the world. At the same time, anthropomorphizing the sculpture through Arabic calligraphy and traditional attire on it helps to understand the cultural identity as well. The sculpture pays a tribute to non-human species and highlights the importance of falcon biomimicry for Qatar’s culture and politics. We could address the specific nature and rationality of non-human species with the help of Lorraine Datson’s ‘Against Nature’ article. 

“Gates to the Sea” by Simone Fattal is an embodiment depicting the past and present state of Qatar, representing the swift shift in the country’s economic and environmental milieu. Fattal’s artwork can perhaps be illustrating a time portal that took Qatar through a drastic vicissitude of wealth. It can also be demonstrating the extent to which nature determines and bolsters human ‘fate’ and lifestyle, as Qatar’s economy and its citizens went from relying merely on pearl diving to becoming one of the world’s largest oil and natural gas hubs. For this installation, we think that it is appropriate to discuss Jason deCaires Taylor’s underwater sculptures and the significance of the sea. 

rst blog 

The sculpture “On Their Way” by a French artist Roch Vandromme is made with the motive of depicting the dynamic relationship between humans and nonhumans. The sculpture itself comprises the figure of four camels that serves the purpose of representing and continuation of this relationship between humans and camels. As it is known, camels played an integral role in Qatar’s long history and its nomadic lifestyle in the past. Hence, in order to continue the embracement of the progressive and dynamic relationship between humans and camels, Roch Vandromme’s artwork is an outstanding embodiment of showcasing it in the form of a sculpture. The absence of humans in Vandromme’s sculpture implies the rejection of human exceptionalism and invites us to shift away from the anthropocentric view as was suggested in Chaudhuri’s Interspecies Diplomacy article.

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The National Museum of Qatar

Architect Jean Nouvel attempted to connect the people of Qatar with their land and history by designing the Qatar National Museum’s structure after the desert rose; a mineral formation of crystal clusters made out of sand that is found in Qatar’s desert. The building exterior consists of folds and discs coming out in all directions with a sandy color to embody the desert rose. He claims that the building holds a sentimental layer in which it represents the “beauty, timelessness and marvel” (Bounia, 2018) of the desert rose in Qatar’s environment. This opens the door to question the concept behind using the environment as a means to solidify Qatari culture for its people.

But how can a naturally occurring mineral turn into a heritage symbol? To answer this question, we must first understand the relationship between culture and the environment. Author Tim Clark has brought out the issue of the Anthropocene concerning our understanding of the environment. The Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch that describes the recent period in Earth’s history when human activity started to have a significant impact on the planet’s climate and ecosystem. There is a broader phenomenon called anthropocentrism, which implies that humans tend to give non-human things some form of human attributes to feel a connection to them. This notion of anthropocentrism which puts the human as the center of its environment creates a nature/culture binary that alters the way we perceive the environment based on our humanistic cultural perceptions. In this case, Nouvel is associating Qatar’s ‘natural’ environment with its culture so that people could appreciate it as a symbol of Qatar’s heritage. We can make the argument that Nouveal’s efforts to turn the ‘desert rose’ museum into a heritage symbol is an anthropocentric concept of Qatar’s environment, which might cause a disconnect between the Qatari people and the desert rose (or in that case their environment) because the structure allows us to think about Qatar’s environment through a cultural lens and not in its entirety as a part of humanity.

Another question arises; which concept of nature was personified in Nouvel’s museum? We know now from the notion of the Anthropocene that humans tend to humanize the concept of nature to understand and appreciate it. Environmental historian William Cronen argues that cultural invention alters our perception of nature that has a historical process tied to it (Cronen, 1995). His critiques of our conception of nature are centered around Western thought, but we could also see that in the museum’s case: an entirely culturally invented historical process is being used to conceive Qatar’s nature. There is a sentimental aspect to the desert rose being used as an architectural structure. It represents a time in which Qatar was merely a desert, and serves as a contrast to the contemporary “unnatural” state of Qatar with all the skyscrapers. So, the “beauty, timelessness, and marvel” of the desert rose is reminiscent of Qatar’s former natural state of Qatar’s desert in comparison to the presence of modernity in Doha’s city skyline. How the museum is built as if it is emerging from the ground further solidifies its intentions to be perceived as a culturally produced concept of Qatar’s past.

The ‘desert rose’ museum is an interesting topic for environmental humanities because it highlights the anthropocentric conceptualization of Qatar’s environment. In addition, it also raises questions about the concept of nature that is conceptualized in the desert rose structure and how the sentimental layer attached to the design is used to promote the Qatari culture. This allows us to think about its practicality as a heritage symbol, does it evoke any sentimental feelings towards its visitors? What are the other aspects of the museum that help solidify this notion and which aspects fail to do that?

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After Petroculture?

For our case study, we have decided we will be placing a critical lens on the petroleum culture (petroculture) predominant in Qatar. As a GCC country and as a rentier state, Qatar is one of the leading examples of the petroculture, however what separates it from other GCC countries and rentier states, is that with it’s plans for development and aspirations for increased sustainability, there is a crucial aspect of eliminating petromodernity, which refers to the widespread culture of dependence on cheap, harmful energy sources (i.e fossil fuels) (Beblawi). To tackle this from an environmental humanities perspective, we will be delving into the planned methods for increased sustainability in Qatar and how this will affect the residential population, in terms of ease of everyday living and the environmental connotations included within. 

In terms of looking at this case study from an environmental humanities perspective, it is gloriously interesting in its paradoxical nature. If we look at some scholarship, such as Hannes Bergthaller’s essay FOSSIL FREEDOMS, which highlights the dependency the international community has on oil, we can understand that the addiction, and need, for petromodernity has plagued the international community. Oil is a commodity that is considered priceless worldwide which is, unfortunately, understandable due to the nature of the modern world, which practically runs on oil. From transportation, to production means, oil is practically liquid gold. And Qatar is a prime example of a country whose wealth was born from oil. They first began extracting and producing oil between 1939-1949 (“Economy of Qatar”). Due to this resource discovery, since then, Qatar has blossomed into a modern, technologically advanced country with much accumulated wealth (“Qatar Keeps Climbing”). The idea that a country, whose flourishing economy feeds on the international community’s “addiction” to oil, is deciding to try and move away from that means of capital is equal parts intriguing and alarming. 

One way they are largely trying to extract themselves from the clutches of their economic dependency on petromodernity is by trying to transition to natural gasses as a main source of energy (“Qatar Keeps Climbing”). While Qatar is known for their status as a wealthy, oil-rich country, they are also blessed with generous reserves of natural gasses. Qatar has also, in an attempt to create a more “sustainable” environment as well as a cheap mode of transportation before the much anticipated FIFA World Cup, developed more modes of public transport, such as the creation of the Doha Metro (“In Marking of the World”). 

The metro is certainly one of the more established modes of Qatar’s attempt to to move away from fossil fuels. However, eyebrows are often raised at the creator’s prediction of low usage of the metro and we would like to offer possible explanations of this social phenomena. After all, a metro is an immensely attractive option, especially in regards to the clear regulations that significantly affect the quality of travel. Luxurious seating, defined boundaries between people and seats, gorgeous views and internal air-conditioning (though it does contribute to the big picture of climate change, it is absolutely vital in the infamous Qatar heat) sounds like a dream to the public transport users of areas such as New York. So what is the reason for its low rates of usage? In short- petroculture and the resulting emergence of a material environment.

 Petroculture largely refers to the culture of reliance on oil – a cheap, accessible and rich source of energy. Our entire lives are increasingly enclosed and dictated by this culture, shown in our callous preference towards private forms of transportation, rather than the easily accessible public transportation, constant availability of electricity, water, gas, etc and so forth are numerous examples of the social dictations that lead to the emergence of a material environment. This then builds the foundations for the facilitations of petroculture within Qatar. However, it is worth noting that reform starts with realization and therefore, Qatar’s petromodernity goals are nothing short of commendable. 

These are just a few of the ways, we have discovered, that Qatar is trying to distance itself from their petromodern status. In this blog, we will analyze the implications of this move, the ways they are transitioning, how it may affect the future of the country, and much more.

Bibliography

Beblawi, Hazem. “The Rentier State in the Arab World.” Arab Studies Quarterly, vol. 9, no. 4, 1987, pp. 383–98. 

Bergthaller, Hannes. “FOSSIL FREEDOMS.” The Routledge Companion to the Environmental Humanities, Edited by Ursula Heise et al., 2017. 

“Commitment to Sustainability: Petromodernity.” Doing Environmental Humanities in Doha, GUQ, Nov. 2020, 

ehdoha.georgetown.domains/worldcup/commitment-to-sustainability-petromodernity/. 

“Economy of Qatar.” Encyclopædia Britannica, www.britannica.com/place/Qatar/Economy. 

Eldos, Haneen I., et al. “Characterization and Assessment of Process Water from Oil and Gas Production: A Case Study of Process Wastewater in Qatar.” Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, vol. 6, 2022, 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscee.2022.100210.

“In Marking of the World Environment Day Qatar Rail Held ‘Plant A Tree’ Event at Airport Park.” Qatar Rail, June 2021, corp.qr.com.qa/English/Media/News/Pages/Details.aspx?NewsID=64

“Qatar Keeps Climbing.” The Banker, 2002.

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The Arabian Oryx

Understanding the concept of the wilderness is important to interpret the success of the conservation efforts of the Oryx. Environmentalists must rethink the wilderness and understand its significance in humanity. Willian Cronon, in a discussion on this topic, reveals that humans have inherent desires that guide their actions. Cronon mentions that people can behold the wilderness based on the assumption that it is nature, but rather, they are simply fulfilling their unexamined longings and desires (Cronon 1). In this case, although it might seem like the topic is on conservation efforts and environmentalism, perhaps it is simply the fulfilment of cultural desires. The argument introduces a discussion on the significance of the conservation of the Oryx in Qatar.

“The Oryx is culturally significant to the Qatari population.” Do the efforts to conserve the Oryx focus on the cultural significance or are they environmental efforts? Is there a cultural problematic relationship that characterizes the conservation of the Oryx? It is important to understand the wilderness to comprehend whether conservation only focuses on the Oryx because it is a national emblem. Does the Qatar conservation agency focus on a specific animal (Oryx) or do they truly understand the wilderness in its entirety? Relating the cultural significance of the Oryx to conservation efforts is essential.

At the same time, it is important to examine the improvement or progress made in comparison to the damage. Has the conservation of the Oryx affected the wilderness? For instance, they previously used to live in the wild and contributed to the ecosystem. Now that they are in sanctuaries, have they changed the desert ecosystem or improved the wilderness? Perhaps they were important in the ecosystem and could avoid extinction naturally.

Even so, the wilderness is just one of the environmental concerns. As mentioned in the previous post, several other factors characterize environmentalism and deep ecology. Some of the issues that have merged now include commercial hype and tourist advertising. Conservation efforts not only focus on saving animals from extinction, but also explore commercial interests. Do such interests interfere with conservation efforts? Is it possible to achieve a balance between environmental and economic interests? Relating the cultural significance of the Oryx to monetary interests, helps decipher the future of conservation efforts.

Although conservation relates to environmentalism, it might also be a cultural movement. Would the Qatari government focus on the conservation of the Oryx if it were not a national emblem? The conservation efforts have helped transform the wilderness. Even so, understanding the original state of the wilderness in comparison to what Qatar is recreating in its conservation efforts is important to determine the overall success of the projects. Do the conservation efforts introduce any conflict? Are there any conflicts of interest? Perhaps interfering with the wilderness affects the history of the Oryx and its significance. Understanding all these factors is essential to monitor the success of the conservation efforts and ensure all stakeholders are on the same page.

Works Cited

Cronon, William. The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.

Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1995, 69-90

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The Arabian Oryx

Conservation efforts of the Oryx often encounter both practical and theoretical challenges. Theoretically, there is the issue of deep ecology that affects environmentalism such as the conservation of the Oryx. According to Ramachandra Guha, the central tenets of deep ecology are inapplicable to the Third World. In the context of this discussion, the Third World typifies Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Guha argues that tenets such as the focus on wilderness preservation, anthropocentrism, and biocentrism are only applicable to American environmental and cultural history.

The argument suggests that conservation efforts in Qatar are different from those in America. The cultural context in Qatar is much different from that in Western countries that introduced the theories. The dynamics of environmental conservation are dissimilar in the two regions, which makes the application of the deep ecology theory challenging in Qatar.  For instance, conservation efforts in Qatar might take a cultural or philosophical perspective, unlike in other regions that it might have a spiritual or political inclination (Guha 72). Understanding the different perspectives related to deep ecology is important to interpret the goals of conservation of the Oryx.

Another argument concerns the economic goals of mainstream environmentalism. The blog post previous to this one mentioned a sanctuary in Qatar that helps in conservation efforts of the Oryx and the economic benefits that it accrues simultaneously. Considering that the Oryx is Qatar’s national emblem, there certainly must be political issues surrounding its conservation efforts, which might border on radical environmentalism. In this case, the issue of environmental ethics emerges, which is certainly a topic worth exploring in the context of Qatar.

Certainly, there are multiple perspectives on addressing the issue. Guha’s historical and sociological perspectives introduce interesting insights about conservation. The cultural rootedness of the issue emerges based on the social and political goals of the environmental conservation efforts. For instance, does Qatar apply the sophisticated knowledge of agricultural communities, or does it solely rely on scientific and sophisticated knowledge underlined in the theory of deep ecology? Based on this, it is important to analyze Qatar’s conservation efforts from both a national and international perspective, rather than merely relying on the worldwide tenets of deep ecology. There are different variants of the issue depending on the cultural context and human-nature interactions.

The theory persuades a discussion on the intrinsic and extrinsic benefits of conservation. To what extent does the conservation of the Oryx benefit the Qatari population? What are the intrinsic and extrinsic benefits that emanate from saving the Oryx from extinction? Through this discussion, it is possible to explore the conservation efforts of other flora and fauna and inherently compare their advantages and disadvantages. For instance, is the effort that Qatar places in the conservation of the Oryx more important than that of plants facing extinction? Through this, it is possible to analyze the radical guise and preoccupation of conservation efforts.

Works Cited

Guha, Ramachandra. Radical American Environmentalism and Wilderness Preservation: A

Third World Critique. Environmental Ethics, 1989.

Categories
The Arabian Oryx

The Oryx is a threatened species that the Qatari government places exceptional effort to conserve. For instance, it instituted a captive breeding program to reduce the threat that the animal faced. It is necessary to investigate the efforts of the Qatari government to make conservation efforts successful. Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of their efforts can help in the conservation of other animals and the efforts of neighbouring countries that also actively engage in conservation efforts.

The research question guiding this research is, “What are the cultural and political issues that define the conservation of the Oryx?” Other guiding questions include, “What are the socio-political challenges faced by conservationists in keeping the Oryx from extinction?” and “To what extent has anthropocentrism shaped conservation efforts?”  Finally, it is important to investigate the effectiveness of collaborative efforts of other agencies involved in the conservation of the Oryx.

The topic is interesting to the environmental humanities because it discusses the conservation efforts of an animal that has undergone the phases of extinction, endangerment, and vulnerability. Environmental humanities explore the ways of life of fauna and the ways in which the state (macro-level) or the individual (micro level), affect the relationship. A research on an important animal in Qatar can help understand the tenets of environmental humanities and its application in today’s society. Finally, it is important to assess to what degree the state or agencies associated with conservation efforts, encourage people to engage with nonhuman species and life. In the case of Qatar, there has not been much discussion amongst the common people in terms of the value of the Oryx or the value of it in terms of nature vs human settlement or engagement. One analysis that stems from this could be the relationship of capitalism and luxury to the average Qatari person. The creations that could be made out of Oryx skin and horns may seem more important to the general public than the conservation and utmost respect to the wildlife.

In this context, the theory of the Anthropocene arises. Humans influenced the near extinction of the oryx and continue to influence their conservation efforts. The Anthropocene characterizes the complexities that exist in nature in today’s human-influenced age (Clark 17). The human society are in desperate attempt to adapt to planetary geology through activities such as the conservation of the Oryx. The Anthropocene is quite complex because it not only examines geological aspects, but also historical and political elements. Cultural and political issues emanate because of the importance of the Oryx in Qatar. For that reason, it is essential to provide an analysis of the relationship and entanglement of the Oryx with culture and politics. There are social and political issues that emerge during conservation efforts, based on the tenets of Environmental Humanities, such as the general idea of the society of the inherit value of nature and politically, what it could possibly mean for different states, specifically neighbouring states, to all be engaged in conservation efforts. Could it be led by competition? Or international recognition? Or is it an internal and local affair and effort? If so, why has there not been much effort from the state to induce the value of the Oryx? Or of all of nature’s wildlife? Or maybe there has, but not to the extent that the matter deserves. Through the previous points, it is possible to understand the threats and opportunities to environmental humanities that emerge during conservation efforts.

The Al Maha Sanctuary (Arabian Oryx Sanctuary) is one of the areas where the Oryx escapes extinction. The sanctuary has saved the animal from extinction because it helps in the reproduction of approximately 90 calves per year (Paramo 1). Apart from the Oryxes, they also keep small gazelles, which affirm that conservation efforts also include other animals. The sanctuary allows visitors to the area, but often under special arrangements because it is a protected area. Still, there seems to be only a few sources online, produced by local agencies, which praise the efforts of the state for bringing back a once extinct animal. Not much discussion revolves around why it led to extinction in the first place (from a human to animal relationship concept) and how we can, in today’s society, encourage and truly understand the sanctity of nature and how to co-exist.

                                                                 Works Cited                     

Clark, Timothy. The ‘Anthropocene’? Nature and Complexity.

Paramo, Adriana. Al Maha Sanctuary. AFAR. Available at https://www.afar.com/places/al-maha-sanctuary-al-rayyan

Qatar E-Nature. Arabian Oryx, White Oryx. 2020. Available at https://www.enature.qa/specie/arabian-oryx-white-oryx/

Categories
The Arabian Oryx

The Arabian Oryx (White Oryx) is a desert animal that has survived extinction in several instances. Locally known as Wudhaihi (Al Maha), the Oryx has survived the titles of ‘extinct’, ‘endangered’, and ‘vulnerable’ over the decades (Qatar E-Nature, 1). Qatar considers it as the national animal and the 2006 Asian Games in Doha used it as the official games mascot. In addition, the Middle Eastern airline Qatar Airways shows the Oryx on its tailfins. Certainly, the animal is important to Qataris and has a cultural significance. Qatar considers the Oryx as the country’s national emblem, which highlights the need to investigate the efforts of the Qatari government to engage in conservation measures.

The anatomy and morphology of the Oryx is quite spectacular. It has an average height of 1 meter and weighs approximately 70 kilograms. Most of them have long horns that might be as long as 75 centimetres. They are often a luminous white colour with brown undersides and brownish legs. Distinctively, they have a black stripe on the intersection of the neck and head, on the nose, and on the forehead. They often show little aggression to each other, which means they pose no internal threat. Through this, they can herd in their hundreds or thousands without any supremacy battles concerning the dominant male. They prefer feeding in the evening and resting during the day because of the heat conditions in the Qatari deserts. Humans are the main predators of the Oryx, usually in search of horns and their skin. They often engaged in hunting activities that reduced the numbers of the Oryx significantly in the early 1900s. Its only other known predator is wolves. Apart from predators, Oryxes endure the threat of drought, which causes dehydration and malnutrition. Besides, drought conditions introduce the threat of snakes and intermittent flash floods that cause their death or reduce their lifespan. When placed in a safe condition, such as a sanctuary, they average twenty years.

Although the Oryx has largely existed over the centuries in the Middle East, they are most popular in Qatar and gained national status. As mentioned above, sport hunting was the major threat to the Oryx in the early 1900s and significantly reduced their population. What endangered them more was their choice of habitat, which is gravel desert or hard sand, which made it easier for hunters because they were often exposed in the wild. Despite their speed and endurance, they were no match to the automobiles and rifles that Arabian princes and oil company clerks used.

The reintroduction of the Arabian Oryx in large semi-managed populations at several sites in Qatar has increased their numbers significantly. The conservation efforts, including in the UAE and other Middle East countries, have made their numbers rise to approximately one thousand. Effectively, this means that they are now a vulnerable population, and not necessarily extinct.

Categories
EcoArt in Qatar

Eco-Art as Pharmakon

In the blog post preceding this, I argue that there is a dissonance between the presence of a nature reserve in close proximity to oil fields in Qatar, and end with the question that perhaps there is not necessarily a divide that exists between the natural world and the petrol dependent one. I found the following quote from Hannes Bergthaller’s article titled “Fossil Freedoms: The Politics of Emancipation and the End of Oil” particularly useful in this context.[1] Bergthaller writes, “Petroleum, as it figures in these debates, assumes something of the ambivalent status of Derrida’s pharmakon (95–104): flickering between remedy and poison, feeding and frustrating the desire for individual or national self-determination, it is both that which makes liberty possible, and, at the same time, poisons it at the root.”[2] The concept of pharmakon — both poison and cure, represents Qatar’s exhibition of its petromodern oil fields juxtaposed with its nature reserves.

Serra’s work is not entirely removed from the destructive version of petro-modernity either. Philip Cooke in his article “The Resilience of Sustainability, Creativity and Social Justice from the Arts & Crafts Movement to Modern Day “Eco-Painting”” writes about the various aesthetics of modern ecoart.[3] Writing about the sustainability of eco art projects by drawing a comparison between Richard Serra and Olafar Eliasson, he argues, “Richard Serra, whose typical work is inordinately expensive, wasteful of energy and materials in its use of huge metalwork, non-locally resourced, but rather, transported over oceanic distances, and solipsistic in its desire to display the artist’s technological learning (wide use of aerospace software in computer-generated metal-shaping) to make art a triumph over the natural environment…”[4] Although Serra’s work occupies more aerial space than land space, it is true that his work stands out in relation to the natural environment, and appears to conquer the visual field of the visitor. Furthermore, Cooke is right in arguing that the unsustainability of Serra’s projects makes their natural surroundings especially redundant.

However, these criticisms must not negate the cultural impact that both the oil industry and Serra’s sculptures have had despite being firmly established in unsustainable environmental practices. Furthermore, both objects bring into question the nature of their materiality. Jane Bennett in Vibrant Matter explores materiality in objects and the moment where they become independent of human meaning making processes.[5] The Qatar Petroleum signs on the way to the Zekreet desert become agential beings of their own, void of my personal perception of their environmental consequences, they are also things that interact with the world. The Serra sculptures too, independent of Cooke’s interpretation of their unsustainable presence in the desert, interact with their environment in very human ways. The sculptures erode and rust like a person transforming, habituating, or simply being influenced by their surroundings.

[1] Hannes Bergthaller, “Fossil Freedoms: The Politics of Emancipation and the End of Oil,” in The Routledge Companion to the Environmental Humanities (London, UK: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2017), pp. 424-432.

[2] Bergthaller, “Fossil Freedoms: The Politics of Emancipation and the End of Oil,” 426.

[3] Philip Cooke, “The Resilience of Sustainability, Creativity and Social Justice from the Arts & Crafts Movement to Modern Day ‘Eco-Painting,’” City, Culture and Society 6, no. 3 (2015): pp. 51-60, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccs.2015.02.003.

[4] Cooke, “The Resilience of Sustainability, Creativity and Social Justice, 53.

[5] Jane Bennett, Vibrant Matter, 4 of 6.

Categories
EcoArt in Qatar

Serra, Petro-Modernity, and Intention

Richard Serra’s choice of the Brouq Nature Reserve in Qatar for his steel monuments is a rather unique choice on his behalf. While his audience would expect that his decision to base his art in the desert was undertaken because of the significance of that ecosystem to Qatar’s culture, especially with their economic reliance on natural gas and oil of which they get their riches, this was not the case. He did not actually consider any cultural or social narratives when sculpting his masterpiece as the location of the artwork was chosen by Her Highness Sheikha al-Mayassa Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani[1]. Because of this, we are unable to infer much information about what the art could represent from the artist’s perspective, specifically due to the fact that he was solely searching for opportunities to engage in art-creation. Despite this, we can still investigate the importance and significance of the artwork from the perspective of the authority behind it. This is clear because Richard Serra would not be able to carry out the creation of his art without the authorization from the museum/art society in Qatar, through such a powerful figure in the art scene like Her Highness.

“The petroleum infrastructure has become embodied memory and habitus for modern humans,” says Stephanie LeMenager in her article discussing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.[2] She argues that the oil spill revealed “a humiliation of modernity as it was understood in the twentieth century, which is largely in terms of the human capacity to harness cheap energy.”[3] Qatar’s economy also largely relies on oil and gas exports which are significant sources of carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change. In addition to this, the quantity of fossil fuels that Qatar can procure is limited; it will run out at some point. Now while they haven’t had such a disastrous event like the BP oil spill, in order to maintain its powerful economy, Qatar needs to stop relying on fuel exports and invest in other profitable outlets. Thus, Qatar invests millions of riyals annually towards the development of artwork and museums, including two Richard Serra pieces, 7and East-West/West-East.

I believe that the artwork represents the State of Qatar and its values in two ways. First, the significance of the location lies in that the natural terrain of Qatar is not unique and is not, at least conventionally, attractive. Therefore, the artwork being placed in a place of insignificance could express the idea that although Qatar may seem insignificant, it has unique qualities and values that make it special. Second, the nature of the artwork in which the steel monuments are made to be altered by natural causes. Despite the harsh nature of its surroundings, the steel monuments stand tall and simply adapt by reacting to the environment. This could represent Qatar in which although the world is constantly changing and evolving, it still manages to adapt and persevere through it. Countries that lie outside the Western sphere are usually looked down upon which places extra pressure on them to show up. Hence, the pressure that they are subjected to be extraordinary is represented by the harsh environment within the desert. As mentioned previously, Serra stated that the social and political environment did not matter in the creation of this piece, so the intentions of outside actors should also be considered.

Bibliography

Lemenager, Stephanie. “Petro-Melancholia: The BP Blowout and the Arts of Grief.” Qui Parle: Critical Humanities and Social Sciences 19, no. 2 (2011): 25. https://doi.org/10.5250/quiparle.19.2.0025.

Niarchos, Nicolas. “Richard Serra in the Qatari Desert,” June 18, 2017.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/richard-serra-in-the-qatari-desert.

[1] Nicolas Niarchos, “Richard Serra in the Qatari Desert,” June 18, 2017, https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/richard-serra-in-the-qatari-desert.

[2]Stephanie LeMenager, “Petro-Melancholia: The BP Blowout and the Arts of Grief,” Qui Parle: Critical Humanities and Social Sciences 19, no. 2 (2011): p. 25, https://doi.org/10.5250/quiparle.19.2.0025, 26.

[3] Stephanie LeMenager, “Petro-Melancholia,” 26.

Categories
Baladna: National Insecurity and the Politics of Petro-Agriculture

Scale and the Aesthetic of Self-Sufficiency

Vlog by Aimen from the Q Familia YouTube channel on a visit to Baladna’s park and farm in Alkhor, Qatar. I recommend watching from 1:30 to 4:01 to familiarize yourself with some of the aesthetic features that I will reference in the post below.

This child’s vlog recounting a trip to Baladna’s farm, park, and publicly viewable premises foregrounds the aesthetics the company adopts to appeal to the public. Life-size cow sculptures are spaced throughout the intensively-watered, green entrance. A train with compartments in the shape of cows with hollowed backs provides transportation and entertainment for children. Once inside, a museum-like aesthetic attempts to portray the company’s modern or postmodern project as historically grounded, even natural (as my previous post argued). Through an analysis of the aesthetic adopted by Baladna’s farm—as much as I could see through the lens of the child’s vlog—I will maintain that one issue with the company’s aesthetic lies in its appropriation of scale. Baladna invokes the family cow, the self-sufficient family farm, while operating at a national level of production and distribution with tens of thousands of cows and their attendant human and non-human infrastructures. I will connect this argument to the discourse of self-sufficiency that I see at play in this aesthetic, as it frames in individual scalar terms what effectively functions on the scale of the nation.

In “Derangements of Scale,” Timothy Clark posits that climate change forces us to confront the ways in which scale disrupts our common-sense ways of approaching the world. What might “have seemed justified, internally coherent, self-evident or progressive now [needs] to be reassessed in terms of hidden exclusions, disguised costs or as offering a merely imaginary or temporary closure” (Clark 8-9). Clark critiques the “individualist rhetoric” (9) inherent to the Hobbesian-Lockean liberal tradition that is concerned with the creation and defense of private property at the expense of natural resources (6). Similar rhetoric surfaces frequently in Baladna’s publications (see the end of the “Baladna Phase 1 and 2” video); the company’s appeals to the notion of self-sufficiency attempt to conjure up the ecologically “natural” development of subsistence agriculture and the family farm. This, as Clark might put it, is “deranged” by scalar effects that render it incongruous, non-progressive, and so on. While at the individual level, self-sufficiency is “justified,” at scale we need to consider the significant carbon emissions and ecological impacts of agriculture, which account for “one-fourth of total anthropogenic [greenhouse gas emissions]” (Roy and Sahoo). Both Baladna’s use of the discourse of self-sufficiency and its ensuing aesthetic are complicated by scalar issues, and we need to recognize this to begin to understand Baladna’s relationship to the environment.

In aesthetic terms, Baladna’s farm could not appeal more clearly to notions of self-sufficiency. Take, for instance, the display of antique, metal farming implements with a backdrop of simple stone, and a stack of firewood. These images allude to subsistence farming, to the lifestyles of “mountain men” and other settlers in the American West, among other things. In the vlog’s voice-over, Aimen (referring to the display of antique tools) says “these are some of the tools they use for farming” (3:33). Clearly, this juxtaposition is meant to associate the two farming practices and scales (individual and corporate), as evidenced by the child’s misapprehension or at least mischaracterization of the tools’ current (non-)use.

In addition, as a visitor looks at this display, a glass overlook to their left opens on an ultra-modern milking parlor that can process 100 cows every 10 minutes (3:42). The milking parlor, rather than utilizing “Old West” points of reference, is metallic, symmetrical, and industrial. In these two aesthetics there is not only a tension between the old and new, but also between the individual and the collective, the effects of which are unclear and rendered less visible by the (intentional) overlapping of the two in the company’s aesthetic presentation. The realm of nation (or at least corporation) appropriates and is “legitimated” by the historical and cultural connotations of the aesthetic of the family cow—the frugally self-sufficient—while continuing to operate on a drastically different scale, obscuring the company’s real impacts by misdirecting from the scale at which we should be looking for them.

Works Cited

Clark, “Derangements of Scale,” Ecocriticism on the Edge: The Anthropocene as a Threshold Concept, London, Bloomsbury, 2015.

Aimen, “Baladna Farm | Baladna Food Industries | Baladna Park, Alkhor, Qatar | First Dairy Farm of Qatar,” YouTube, uploaded by Q Familia, 9 February 2020, https://youtu.be/P_XDfGWCVck

“Baladna Phase 1 and 2,” YouTube, uploaded by Baladna Food Industries, 25 January 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnJFHvXrUaQ.

Roy, DK and Sahoo, Subhra. “Agrarian Carbon Footprint: A Global Issue,” EC Agriculture (2020): 14-20. March 24, 2020. https://www.ecronicon.com/eco20/pdf/ECAG-03-ECO-0005.pdf. Accessed November 20, 2020.

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