Photographic Encounters along the Gulf Coasts

Overview

Comprising 165 photographs and archival documents from the collection of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, this exhibition explores how photography translates and interprets history. The late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century images—glass slides made from photographs of people, places and activities along the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean littorals—engage with the region as a nexus of trade and connection.

Exhibition Focus

The photographs reflect on how Gulf waterways and coastal areas have facilitated human connection, shaped global trade and fostered exchanges of knowledge, culture and language. They also speak to notions of power, class, gender and ethnicity, signalling the prevailing cultural attitudes of the time.

Medium & Materials

The glass slides on which the images were reproduced as well as the magic lantern, considered a predecessor to modern slide projectors, offer insight into photographic innovations of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Collection Presentation

As the photographer, date and location for each image have not been conclusively established, this exhibition presents the collection as found artefacts. Some images have 'titles'; however, it is not clear who added them and when. Associations between texts and images may change as they circulate through time and space.

Location & Access

• Gallery 1, Photography Gallery
• Al Manakh, Sharjah