RTA signs Dh184 million deal with Dubai Culture

RTA signs Dh184m deal with Dubai Culture; project to be ready by March 2015

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has signed a deal worth Dh184 million to turn Metro stations into art works and also to decorate bridges and underpasses in Dubai for a project that is expected to be complete by March 2015.

Artists’ impressions of the Emirates Towers Station, which will have Islamic decorations and manuscripts, and the Noor Bank Station, which will host a museum of contemporary art. — Supplied photos

BurJuman Station will be transformed into music and art gallery, Emirates Towers Station will be transformed into Islamic decorations and manuscripts, Financial Centre Station will be transformed into an Islamic Numismatics (coins) Gallery, Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Station will be transformed into an e-library, and the Business Bay Station will be transformed into a photo gallery.

The Noor Bank Station will play host to a Museum of Contemporary Art offering a unique and comprehensive look into modern art through a diverse collection of artifacts depicting the contemporary creative expression, where the museum will feature paintings, designs, graphics, sculptures and other collectibles that reflect the intellectual and expressive styles created by contemporary artists from all over the world.

The museums will be equipped with the latest technologies as well as smart and interactive applications. There will also be a variety of artistic performances including music synchronised with the movement of the metro, light show on the roofs of stations, 3-D shows at stations, interactive screens via smartphones in all stations, and wrapping metro carriages using e-paper technology.

The RTA has signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) in this regard. The first provides for transforming six of the Dubai Metro stations into art museums showcasing artistic and creative cultural works; a project that carries a total cost tag of Dh184 million. The other MoU provides for decorating bridges and underpasses in Dubai in a bid to add artistic touches to the streets of the Emirate.

Dubai Metro Stations attract more than 137 million visitors per annum. This unique initiative aims at creating permanent museums and art galleries to showcase artistic and cultural works and innovations rendering them an integral part of the lifestyle and mobility experience in Dubai.

The initiative will also result in bringing artistic, cultural, aesthetic and historical artifacts and creative works to the attention of the public, rather than bringing the public to them, rendering them an enjoyable part of the daily life of commuters, thus transforming the metro stations into cultural, artistic and historical hubs.

The MoU was signed on behalf of the Dubai Culture by Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Minister of Health and Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, and on behalf of the RTA by Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA.

The RTA will provide and prepare the infrastructure needed for stations, cater to interior designs and contents, put a tender for interior design and contents besides marketing and promoting the project. Dubai Culture will figure out the required infrastructure in terms of power, ventilation, information systems, interior design, gallery contents, tender documents for interior design and develop gallery contents, in addition to identifying and preparing artworks, and setting a plan for modernising artifacts and gallery contents.

“We are cooperating with the RTA so that we can together add more glamour and elegance to our city through artistic touches illustrating the rich, innovative and unique cultural fabric of Dubai,” said Al Owais.

Al Tayer said: “The RTA will strive to complete the project in March 2015 so that Dubai Metro stations art galleries will be key facilities in our society and core ingredients of our daily life.”

“The project will be particularly appealing to Dubai Metro riders and add an aesthetic dimension to Dubai Metro stations which are mainly designed to be unique architectural showpiece characterising Dubai Metro.” — news@khaleejtimes.com