Kalba Ice Factory's industrial look is offset by its natural surroundings. Photo: Shanavas Jamaluddin
Kalba Ice Factory's industrial look is offset by its natural surroundings. Photo: Shanavas Jamaluddin
Kalba Ice Factory's industrial look is offset by its natural surroundings. Photo: Shanavas Jamaluddin
Kalba Ice Factory's industrial look is offset by its natural surroundings. Photo: Shanavas Jamaluddin

Kalba Ice Factory transformed in time for Sharjah Biennial 15


Katy Gillett
  • English
  • Arabic

A former fish feed mill and ice storage facility that lies in the town of Kalba, on the Gulf of Oman, has been transformed into an art space in time for the Sharjah Biennial 15.

The Kalba Ice Factory has been renovated by the Sharjah Art Foundation and designed by Peru studio 51-1 arquitectos, and turned into an art space with social amenities, retaining its distinctive saw-tooth-shaped roof.

The 20,000-square-metre building was bought by Sharjah Art Foundation in 2015 and has since served as a site for the organisation's activities, including a performance by South African film director Mohau Modisakeng during Sharjah Biennial 14 in 2019 and for Argentinian sculptor Adrian Villar Rojas's Planetarium during Sharjah Biennial 12 (2015).

The transformed building will now reopen to the public on Wednesday as one of several venues playing host to Sharjah Biennial 15, featuring work by artists such as Rebecca Belmore, Ibrahim Mahama and Abdul Raheem Salem. In particular, the vast industrial space has been deemed suitable for performance art and large-scale installations.

This industrial look is offset by its natural surroundings, as it sits adjacent to the Kalba creek and Al Qurm mangrove reserve. Species such as the endangered Arabian collared kingfisher are known to reside here, as well as Blandford's lizard and hawksbill and green turtles, which nest on the nearby beach.

A new adjoining structure that models the look of the ice factory will also house six apartments and other social spaces, while another existing building is being repurposed into a 200-square-metre workshop space for artists.

Behind the factory, a restaurant with views of the shoreline will also open, alongside a garden that will feature areas for dining, cooking, playing and prayer.

“Kalba is a critically important part of Sharjah’s cultural and ecological makeup, and we are enlivening this abandoned site by turning it into a multifaceted gathering space for residents of this region as well as visitors from across the emirate and around the world,” said Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, director of Sharjah Art Foundation.

“By preserving the industrial rawness of the factory space and protecting the unique ecosystem of the surrounding landscape, this project extends the foundation’s critical work preserving sites of historic, cultural and environmental significance for future generations through adaptive reuse, and engaging communities across the emirate with contemporary arts programming.”

This is just one of a number of conservation projects that Sharjah Art Foundation is undertaking to preserve the emirate's heritage and built environment, as well as to create spaces to meet the needs of established and up-and-coming artists.

Another such high-profile project has included The Flying Saucer, a Brutalist landmark transformed into an exhibition space and community venue that had its original architectural character restored, and which was shortlisted for the 2022 Aga Khan Award for Architecture. It also won Best Cultural Project at the 2021 Architectural Digest Design Award.

  • The Flying Saucer in 1979. It first opened as a cafe and restaurant in the late 1970s.
    The Flying Saucer in 1979. It first opened as a cafe and restaurant in the late 1970s.
  • The Flying Saucer hosts a branch of Sharjah Co-operative Society in the 1990s.
    The Flying Saucer hosts a branch of Sharjah Co-operative Society in the 1990s.
  • By the 2000s, it hosted a branch of Taza Chicken.
    By the 2000s, it hosted a branch of Taza Chicken.
  • The building was restored by Sharjah Art Foundation and reopened to the public in 2020.
    The building was restored by Sharjah Art Foundation and reopened to the public in 2020.
  • Inside the restored Flying Saucer with its distinctive V-shaped pillars.
    Inside the restored Flying Saucer with its distinctive V-shaped pillars.
  • The Flying Saucer is now a community art space.
    The Flying Saucer is now a community art space.
  • An exhibition at the Flying Saucer.
    An exhibition at the Flying Saucer.
  • A cafe and library have also been added.
    A cafe and library have also been added.
  • The renovation also included introducing an outdoor public space and an underground community area featuring a cafe, library and sunken courtyard filled with greenery.
    The renovation also included introducing an outdoor public space and an underground community area featuring a cafe, library and sunken courtyard filled with greenery.
  • The Flying Saucer takes off again for a bright new future
    The Flying Saucer takes off again for a bright new future
THREE
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Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia

What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix

When Saturday

Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia

What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.

Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

Gulf Under 19s final

Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B

ABU DHABI CARD

5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions; Dh90,000; 2,200m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 1,400m​​​​​​​
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden; Dh80,000; 1,600m​​​​​​​
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh100,000; 1,600m​​​​​​​
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh125,000; 1,600m​​​​​​​
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1; Dh5,000,000; 1,600m

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German intelligence warnings
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  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

What sanctions would be reimposed?

Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

  • An arms embargo
  • A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
  • A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
  • A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
  • Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Museum of the Future in numbers
  •  78 metres is the height of the museum
  •  30,000 square metres is its total area
  •  17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
  •  14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
  •  1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior 
  •  7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
  •  2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
  •  100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
  •  Dh145 is the price of a ticket
What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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Rating: 4.5/5

Updated: February 06, 2023, 1:01 PM