Urban Majlis is a performative urban research project inspired by one of the earliest photographs of an outdoor majlis in Al Hosn (1904), as well as by the many spontaneous, low-infrastructure gatherings we encountered in downtown Abu Dhabi. These gatherings often take place in unexpected urban spaces, mostly in the shadows of the city’s main scenographies.

For this project, commissioned by the First Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial, we designed, built, activated, and documented a mobile table, currently a pingpong table, as play is a natural and universal way to bring people together.

This table also serves as a communication panel, framing and spotlighting(both conceptually and literally) different places in the city that weren’t designed for gathering. These spaces may not be large-scale or spectacular,
yet they are fundamental to the cultural and everyday life of the city.

After 10 dérives and over 30 km traveled through downtown Abu  Dhabi, wehave encountered a vibrant and hospitable diversity within spaces we have categorized as: alleys, empty lots, electrical substations, sidewalks, parking lots, and the residual spaces created by the rotation of mosques and cemeteries in relation to the urban grid.

In the space, which has served as our studio and base during nine weeks of artistic residency (January 9 – March 12, 2025), we present the project through various media: photography, video, cartography, and other urban research methods.

But beyond a workspace, this place has also been our neighborhood—the space where we have hosted our own majlis, between the sidewalk, the pingpong table, and long conversations. We are deeply grateful for the warm welcome from our neighbors, a reminder that, at a small scale, the city becomes a place of pleasure, joy, and hospitality.

 

Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial
15 November 2024–30 April 2025

Department of Culture and Tourism