Lest We Forget: Structures of Memory in the UAE
National Pavilion UAE, Venice Architecture Biennale, 2014
Responding to the theme ‘Absorbing Modernity: 1914-2014’ set by Rem Koolhaas (curator of the 14th International Architecture Exhibition), ‘Lest We Forget: Structures of Memory in the United Arab Emirates’ presents the seminal findings of Lest We Forget to archive the history of architecture and urban development in the UAE over the past century. With concentration on the 1970s-1980s, the exhibition examines how public and residential architecture, built within a rapidly expanding urban context, shaped the newly established federation and prepared the foundation for its emergence on a global stage.
The exhibition is curated by Dr. Michele Bambling in collaboration with Adina Hempel, Marco Sosa and Safiya Al Maskari.
Exhibition photos by: Mohamed Somji





Urban development of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah
National Pavilion UAE installation / Venice Architecture Biennale 2014
Blue Souk and Jazira Park
Cultural Foundation Film / By Hamad Ali Al Hosani / Late1980's
Driving through Abu Dhabi Film / 1978
Adaptive Reuse / Mark Kyffin Drawings / 2013
Remembering Abu Dhabi's Volcano Fountain Film
Vernacular Architecture in the UAE /
UAE National Pavilion Venice Biennale 2014
Infrastructure and Urban Development in the UAE /
UAE National Pavilion Venice Biennale 2014
Structures of Modernity /
UAE National Pavilion Venice Biennale 2014
Retrospective and Innovation /
UAE National Pavilion Venice Biennale 2014