NASO Interviews: Ali Karimi
On Fireplaces of Al Ula
Following the Bahrain Annual Fine Arts Exhibition, NASO had the pleasure of catching up with architect Ali Karimi, winner of the Al Dana Prize for his work Fireplaces of Al Ula.
In addition to pursuing his own projects, Ali is the co-founder of Civil Architecture, which has been operating between Bahrain & Kuwait since 2017. The practice, in contrast to more corporate firms focused on quick turnover projects, thinks about how architectural practice can design and improve the built environment, while also providing a civil service by way of exhibition installations and research work.
His piece, Fireplaces of Al Ula begun as a result of an enduring affinity to fire and the unsaid meanings and practices surrounding it. Ali expanded on this beautifully, explaining how the notion of consuming energy as a collective act - lighting a fire and inviting others to join you - is a gesture of hospitality more raw than even that of sharing a meal. “That to me, as a gesture, feels really truthful”, he says. As the project grew and allowed him to see more of Al Ula, Ali explains that a conscious motivation to understand the place grew with it. The project’s exhibition text touches on how these fireplaces are a “signpost for the changing social and economic dynamics of Al Ula”, given that more and more of them are beginning to disappear. NASO asked Ali whether anything else might have stuck out to him as a signpost of these changing dynamics. “Artificial rock would probably be another”, he says, elaborating that these formations can be taken as signpost of societal changes, and a larger marker of Saudi Arabia’s vision 2030.
Our conversation with Ali made it clear that the exhibition only skimmed the surface of this project, and NASO had to ask whether we would be lucky enough to see it continue. “I’d like to put together a little book”, Ali said, elaborating that doing so would be a satisfying close to a fulfilling project. NASO cannot wait to see what projects both Ali and Civil Architecture take on board next. Be sure to catch “Fireplaces of Al Ula” at the Bahrain Annual Fine Arts Exhibition before it’s gone.
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