"Al Noor Island".. Open spaces where art meets the spirit of Sharjah
Sharjah, 1st July / WAM / Cultural cities are currently moving towards redefining people’s relationship with art by taking it out of closed spaces and into public space to become part of the daily scene and a present element in parks, corridors, squares and facades, not an experience separate from city life.
This transformation reflects a broader vision of the role of culture in developing cities and enhancing their cultural identity. In this context, Al Noor Island in Sharjah provides a pioneering model for this trend, where works of art become part of the natural and architectural landscape and culture becomes present in the details of the place developed by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) in the middle of Khalid Lagoon.
Artworks are spread throughout Al Noor Island as part of the natural landscape, not separate elements from it, making the experience on the island a journey that combines discovery and contemplation.
Although each work is inspired by a different idea from nature, light, history or heritage, they all reflect Sharjah’s vision of making art a part of daily life and transforming public spaces into cultural environments open to visitors.
The “Taurus” sculpture by British artist David Harbour welcomes visitors with a circular sculpture with a reflective metal surface that captures the trees, sky, light and movement around it, so its reflections change with every step and angle of view. Close to it, the work “Filters” by artist Chris Wood evokes the movement of migrating butterflies, while the rocks scattered among the green spaces add a sense of history and link the artistic experience to the nature of the place and its visual layers.
The journey continues with the “Ovo” sculpture, an artistic work that takes the shape of an egg and invites visitors to go through an experience in which lighting and reflections intersect to create a sensory space that seems to transport them to a different world in the middle of nature.
On the other hand, the work “Columns” by Austrian artist Susanne Schmogner adds a touch of prominent colors in the midst of the green scene through long columns painted in bright colors that appear among the trees and plants as artistic signs that invite you to stop and notice the details while walking around.
The local identity is clearly present in the work “The Swing” by Emirati artist Azza Al Qubaisi, which is inspired by the heritage of pearl diving in the United Arab Emirates.
This work overlooks Khalid Lake, evoking the stories of divers’ wives who were waiting for their return on the shores of the Emirates, giving the experience a human and heritage dimension.
The visitor’s experience of the island is not limited to artistic design only, as its details also carry knowledge and enjoyment through the “Butterfly House,” which comes as one of the most prominent examples of this intersection that combines architectural design, environmental knowledge, and experience in one space.
The building, with its metal design inspired by the natural environment of butterflies, houses hundreds of butterflies within an environment that takes into account the appropriate temperature and humidity levels for them, to combine beauty and knowledge in one experience.
Despite the beauty that the models add to the island, the design of the place itself participates in shaping the experience of its visitors. The architecture, corridors, lighting, and distribution of green spaces are all elements that give the island its visual identity. As the light changes during the day, the visitor’s sense of the place changes, and the artworks appear in different ways between day and evening.
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