House of Mirrors

On a hot afternoon back in the middle of June I was fortunate enough to go on a tour to the House of Mirrors here in Kuwait.


(50 degrees Celsius (122F) outside at 5:29pm...)

Calling it the House of Mirrors is certainly no joke - the ENTIRE house is covered in mosaics made of pieces of mirror:


(House of Mirrors - front view and main entrance)


(House of Mirrors - front view. An 'Art Museum' it certainly is!)


(House of Mirrors - the main entrance)

Now, before you think this is part of an amusement park or some art project, let me just say that this is a private home (!) and the lady who transformed it from a typical Kuwaiti house to this House of Mirrors still lives there. Her name is Lidia Al Qattan - an Italian lady who has lived in Kuwait for decades and is the widow of the famous (at least within Kuwait) Khalifa Al Qattan. He was a pioneer artist and in the 1960s he created the school of circulism.

What mostly attracts people, though, is the chance to have a look inside this spectacular house:


(Wall decorations in the sitting room - note that the mirrors form not only animals but also Arabic writing)

Lidia Al Qattan didn't limit herself to a few wall decorations - in fact there seems to be no limits whatsoever to what she decorated with mirrors - including the ceiling and the fan:


(Mirror decorations on the walls and ceiling - and the fan - in the sitting room)

In between the many pieces of mirror there has been made space for some of the art work that the couple has produced over the years - including this portrait of Lidia by her husband...


(Lidia Al Qattan by Khalifa Al Qattan - framed by mosaics of mirror)


(A door in the sitting room - covered in mirrors)

Lidia got the idea of decorating her house with mosaics of mirror while her husband was away for an art exhibition - apparently she started with a piece of furniture and when her husband came back and said that he liked how it looked covered in pieces of mirror, she continued over the years until most of the house and furniture was covered...

Kitchen is pretty much covered as well (I guess she is saving the fridge project for a rainy day :)):


(Kitchen covered in mirrors)


(Kitchen covered in mirrors - fish, crabs, apples, grapes - nothing that cannot be made in mirror mosaic!)

Another view of the sitting area - with its leopard printed sofas where she invites her guests to sit and hear the life story of her and her husband, their art and not least the house while extending traditional Kuwaiti hospitality in the form of cake and drinks:


(Sitting room)

Like I said - there are no limits. Electrical socket? No problem!


(Mosaic on the electrical socket - and a fish mosaic, sitting room)

Most of the rooms have a theme - and this room is the Zodiac Hall with planets, galaxies, stars - she has put those little rubber stars that glow in the dark on the ceiling and her art work (the two round shapes in the picture) glow as well! Quite an experience. It is Lidia Al Qattan in the picture:


(Lidia Al Qattan explaining the room and about to hit the light switch leaving us all under the stars)

A few more examples of the extent of her project:


(Door phone covered in mosaic)

Even the bathroom was not spared (and let me again remind you that this is her private home!) - you better like the look of yourself in the morning if you do a bathroom like this!


(Tissue box in the bathroom)


(The shower, bathroom)


(The toilet itself, bathroom)

After everyone had taken turns to squeeze into the bathroom (wouldn't want to miss that!) she showed us more of her dedicated rooms - a lot of them focusing on the universe, galaxies etc. but still mixed with animal motifs and inscriptions from the Qur'an.


(View of the ceiling)


(A decorated cabinet standing on a decorated floor...)


(Patterns, circles, birds, Qur'an inscriptions, planets - and they are all connected in her mind and her thoughts behind the room)


(Bird mosaic - and one of those glow-in-the-dark stars)

Lidia doesn't just show you around her house - she tries to take you on a journey. All the rooms have meditative music, many of them incorporate some "show in the dark", glowing stars, glowing art, colored light...


(Colored light reflecting in the mosaics during one of the journeys...)


(Lots of colored light to add another dimension to the mosaic)


(A light switch and some more bird mosaic)

Here's a view of the sitting room I showed before - taken from the hall. The neon lights - and of course the fact that the walls have been painted blue - give the whole place the bluish shine.


(Sitting room)

Her library is decorated as well:


(Library)

If you look closely, the edges of the book shelves are covered in mirror mosaic and she certainly skipped no corners: behind the books there is mosaic as well!


(Mirror covered book shelves along with family pictures)


(From the courtyard)


(The courtyard and house facade with Arabic inscriptions and more animals)


(From the courtyard - it's about life-size)


(Front door)

Part of the tour also included a look into the first floor galleries - where her and her husband's art is on display. This room is dedicated to Khalifa Al Qattan (and therefore not covered in mirrors) and his accomplishments:


(Khalifa Al Qattan's room - with portraits, medals, photographs of him shaking royal hands)


(Khalifa and Lidia Al Qattan)

Some of Khalifa Al Qattan's art work on display:


(By Khalifa Al Qattan)


(By Khalifa Al Qattan)


(By Khalifa Al Qattan)

I'm not sure which one of them did these ones incorporating traditional Arabic objects but I believe it was her:



Much of Lidia Al Qattan's art work is also on display (and for sale):


(By Lidia Al Qattan)


(By Lidia Al Qattan)


(By Lidia Al Qattan)

Fancy a somewhat different candle holder?


(By Lidia Al Qattan)

It comes in a large version as well:


(By Lidia Al Qattan - oversized candle holder sculpture...)

As another part of the 'journey through her house' Lidia has built this room that also glows in the dark. It is really something else - spacey! The walls are made of a decorated fabric that velcro will stick to (I guess that explains why the flying skateboards stay on). Visitors are encouraged to throw the velcro-backed decorated triangles seen below at the wall and try and make them stick...


(Another glow-in-the-dark room - the triangles to the left are the ones you can throw at the wall and make stick)


(Close-up of the skateboard/space ship/UFO thing)

And last but not least another relaxation room (you can almost hear the meditative music) full of lit-up art, colored glass and the works:


(Relaxation room)

I certainly cannot imagine living in a house like this day in and day out - but you have to respect her for going after her vision/dream and completing it. In Kuwait it is extremely rare to let strangers into your house so the fact alone that she invites people in to see it is commendable (and probably only permissible since her husband has passed away). I truly appreciated the opportunity to meet Lidia and to see her house and am very grateful for her hospitality - but boy what a surreal place!!

Museum of Islamic Art In Doha, Qatar

While in Doha, Qatar I went to see the Museum of Islamic Art, beautifully located in the water off the Doha corniche. It's an impressive building - its geometric shapes seem to change depending on the angle you see it from and somehow it's like you never see the same building twice. It is the work of the famous I.M. Pei (the architect behind the steel and glass pyramid outside Louvre in France and the Bank of China building in Hong Kong among many others). He drew his inspiration from many corners of the Muslim world in search of 'the essence of Islamic architecture'.


(The impressive Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar)

A nice palm-lined road with a small cascade running down leads up to the museum - and it is already clear that geometric shapes and symmetry play a large role here (as they do in Islamic art):


(Leading up to the museum)

It'll be date season soon - the dates are growing but are still green:


(Date palm along the road leading up to the museum)

This little bird was eating one of the unripe dates:


(Bird eating an unripe date outside the museum)


(Bird outside the museum)

There is one thing I really appreciate when it comes to museums in the Gulf region: most of them charge no entrance free! I am not sure if it is in order to cultivate a culture of going to museums (something that isn't as prevalent here as in the west for example) or whether it's that the governments have enough money and don't need the entrance fees. Either way, I appreciate it! It's not that I don't want to pay to see what they have on display. There are plenty of museums back home that I have never been to even if they have beautiful collections - the entrance fees are so high that I would never just go for an hour or two - I feel like I would have to see the entire collection to get my money's worth (and because I probably wouldn't come back any time soon). This way I keep putting it off for a rainy day and end up not seeing them.

Inside the museum is this impressive atrium (the entrance door is in the middle of the picture) - it is so thought-through and so geometric. I rarely get really excited about buildings but this one was nothing short of amazing:


(Atrium, entrance level)

At the very top there is a bit of daylight coming through:


(Daylight coming through the top of the atrium)

The atrium - and the giant circular lamp with traditional patterns providing some pleasant indirect light:


(The atrium)

The first thing that becomes visible immediately when one enters the museum is this huge window frame which offers unobstructed views of the Doha city skyline:


(The atrium (seen from the first floor) with its huge window frame)


(View of the Doha city skyline from the atrium - the museum is built in the water hence the unobstructed view)

There was an excellent temporary exhibition on pearl diving, cultivation and trade across the world and across times. It was a really beautiful collection of some of the best pieces in the world and like the rest of the museum it was so well thought-through, detailed and with perfect displays in Arabic and English (no photos allowed). I am not generally a big museum fan but I was really impressed with the quality.

A real favorite of mine is Arabic calligraphy. I truly appreciate the shapes of the letters and the skill of the person who has written them (as I appreciate Chinese calligraphy for the same reason). Being able to write Arabic myself now - with the handwriting of a 6-year old I might add - certainly has not made me appreciate the skill any less... There was a lot of calligraphy on display at the museum - from beautiful illustrated books with golden decorations:


(Book with Arabic writing and beautiful illustrations)


(Book with Arabic writing and beautiful illustrations)

...to exerts from the Qur'an and other scripts in various styles of calligraphy from all over the Islamic world:


(Preserved Arabic calligraphy on display)


(Preserved Arabic calligraphy on display)


(Preserved Arabic calligraphy on display)


(Preserved Arabic calligraphy on display)

This one is a favorite - you can click on the photo to enlarge it - it has different animals drawn within the Arabic letters:


(Arabic calligraphy - with animal drawings in and around the letters)

The museum of course has many other items on display apart from calligraphy.

A book listing all the different star constellations with illustrations and explanations on how to identify them:


(Book of constellations)

...along with a model of the sky with the constellations marked on it:


(Globe of the sky with constellations marked)

I cannot remember how old the items were but most of them were several hundred years old - I saw very few recent items on display.

Old anatomical drawings of the human body (as it was thought to look pre x-ray):


(Anatomical drawings of the human body)

A scared looking little blue monkey:


(Blue monkey on display)

And some of the traditional doors I described in my post about the Arab Fund building in Kuwait - no glue is used, it is all carefully carved pieces of wood put together in a complicated jigsaw puzzle that allows the pieces to move (depending on temperature):


(Traditional wooden doors)

And in a very old Egyptian version as well:


(Traditional wooden doors from Egypt - preserved through times)

The museum also has some beautiful wall carpets on display - intricately woven with patterns and Arabic writing in gold thread:


(Wall piece)

...as well as unique pieces of carpets custom ordered for past rulers and their palaces:


(Woven carpet on display)

...and of course paintings of past rulers:


(Paintings on display)

It's not just the items on display that are beautiful, the rooms are as well. Carefully selected construction materials, really amazing lighting and an atmosphere that is difficult to describe. It's the kind of place that makes you forget all about time and the world outside:


(One of the exhibition rooms)

The exhibitions are spread out over the different floors and each time one exits an exhibition room there is a new view of the atrium (that never seems to look the same):


(View of the atrium from an upper floor)


(View of the atrium from an upper floor)


(View of the atrium from an upper floor)


(View of one of the upper floors)

Another favorite of mine is ceramics (and the craft and skills that go into it):


(Blue glazed ceramic tiles with Arabic inscriptions)


(A glazed ceramic tile)


(Ceramic tiles forming a geometric pattern)


(Ceramic tile with Arabic inscriptions)

What I also really appreciated about the museum was that they offered an excellent audio guide (again free of charge) - that had extremely detailed information about Islamic art and its different periods in general and about the specific items. It even had a small screen where pictures and video clips were shown to offer more information or to allow a look into the inside of some of the pieces on display. I know many museums offer audio guides nowadays but this one was really something special - also because it allowed you full control over the amount of information you wished to hear. I suppose you could spend an entire day - if not more - in there if you listened to everything on the guide.

Some more details from the museum itself (yes, I went a little crazy with the camera but I just kept seeing new angles and patterns):


(Day light coming through the top of the atrium)


(View of the floors with the circular patterns and the lights of the ceilings)


(Even the ceiling forms a beautiful pattern in itself)


(Close-up of the circular suspended lamp hanging in the atrium)


(From the main staircase - it looks like a 'funny house' where there are stairs upside down as well)


(Different materials, structures and patterns - yet it all comes together beautifully)

The museum has an outside terrace with fountains as well. I suppose they use it for outdoor events during the winter but I don't know if it has other use than being a pleasant 'oasis' offering great views of the city:


(Outside terrace and fountains - and a local man taking pictures)


(Close-up of the outside fountains with a view of Doha city across the bay in the background)


(View from the terrace: the Qatar Islamic Cultural Center Fanar and a fishing boat)


(View from the terrace: a local fishing boat returning to the harbor)

As you walk away from the museum it - again - seems to change its shape:


(The museum from the side)


(The museum from the side - with palm trees, lamp posts, arches and walkways perfectly aligned)

And a last view from ashore (where the water access becomes visible as well):


(The museum seen from ashore)


(The Doha city skyline across the water - as seen from the side of the museum)

There is one more thing I really appreciated about the museum: the custodians were all young local women (I'd guess final year of high school or maybe college students). I don't know if they were paid for their job or if it's somehow part of their studies (maybe they get credit for doing voluntary work at the museum?) but it is the first time in this region that I have seen this scale of locals working.

As I have talked about before, most non-governmental jobs are held by migrant workers. Almost all service jobs (from cleaning and driving to hotels, shops and restaurants) are held by migrant workers from India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Egypt and other Middle Eastern and Asian countries. In Kuwait I have seen a few locals work in some of the mobile phone service offices, some doing passport control at the airport and a few are in charge of security at the malls (maybe they don't trust foreigners to do that) but apart from that I rarely see Kuwaitis work in the public space (the majority as I said hold office-type government and ministry positions and a lot of women work from home doing food and cake businesses for example so it's not that they don't work they are just not very visible).

Apart from the many young women employed at the museum - and may I add in very stylish yet conservative uniforms that were designed to integrate the black veils that most Qatari women wear - I also saw a lot of women employed at the airport. Apart from the passport control women there were also uniformed women in control of the queuing lines. I found this a bit of an unusual sight because the women would actually tell men off if they did not wait in line.

I don't intend to make it sound like women in this region don't work - or that locals in general in this region don't work because that is certainly not the case. But as I said I have never been anywhere else in this region where I have actually seen so many locals work in visible positions that elsewhere would have been offered to migrant workers.