he exhibition demonstrates the diversity of domestic lifestyles between Morocco, Syria and the Arabian peninsula – from the nomadic tents of the Tuareg or Bedouins to Moroccan casbahs; from the grand courtyard houses in cities such as Marrakech, Damascus or Cairo to buildings by twentieth-century architects like Hassan Fathy, Elie Mouyal or Abdelwahed El-Wakil. Numerous models and reconstructed room environments provide visitors with an opportunity to physically experience various building types, while domestic objects such as ceramics, textiles, tools and architectural elements offer impressions of everyday customs. The elaborate spatial installation also conveys the refined sensuality of life in Arab
countries.
Specially for the exhibition, numerous photographs and films were produced that document forms of domestic life virtually unknown to outsiders.
With interiors of private homes on display, "Living Under the Crescent Moon" offers the visitor insights into a previously little known realm of the Arab world, for the private sphere has traditionally been protected from strangers. Since no area of daily life is as familiar as our domestic environment, the exhibition makes it possible for the visitor to compare his or her own living situation with life in the Arab world.
Curated by Mateo Kries, Alexander von Vegesack.
Scientific coordination at Mart Gabriella Belli and Giorgio Verzotti.