The building’s sandy façade is made up of regular tiers of curving balconies and features a serpent-like graffitied graphic by famed French-Tunisian street artist eL seed – his first public artwork in the UAE

Standing in the middle of a strip of crumbling 1970s building blocks in Sharjah, the UAE city’s former bank building is currently seeing out what could be its last days. The authorities plan to have it demolished as the seafront area is cleared to make way for a new restoration project that promises to reinstate the city’s historic quarter. However, a temporary but ground-breaking Fikra Graphic Design Biennial hosted by local graphic design studio and education platform, Fikra, may just see its fate reversed.

阿联酋的前银行大楼位于沙迦一条70年代摇摇欲坠的积木中间，目前正在观察可能是最后几天的情况。当局计划将其拆除，因为海滨地区已被清理，为一项新的修复工程让路，该项目承诺恢复该市的历史街区。然而，由当地平面设计工作室和教育平台Fikra主办的临时但突破性的Fikra平面设计双年展可能只会看到它的命运逆转。

For the next month, and potentially longer, the derelict building is playing host to the work of over 40 designers from 20 countries which is currently arranged across five of the building’s floors. With an interior overhaul courtesy of Dubai-based T.ZED Architects, the bank building has been transformed into a fictional Ministry of Graphic Design with rooms organised by six themes defined as departments. These imaginary offices include the Department of Graphic Optimism, The Department of Dematerilaising Language and The Department of Mapping Margins.

在接下来的一个月，甚至更长的时间里，这座废弃的建筑将接待来自20个国家的40多名设计师的工作。目前，这座建筑共有五层楼。在迪拜的T.ZED建筑师的帮助下，这座银行大楼被改造成一个虚构的平面设计部，由六个主题组成的房间被定义为部门。这些想象中的办公室包括图形乐观主义部、德方利莱化语言部和绘图部。

Inside the abandoned former Bank of Sharjah

沙迦的废弃前银行内部

Clearly signposted with sober gold plaques, the departments nod to the building’s own administrative past as a bank as well as some of the country’s real life governmental departments – the UAE has Ministers of State for happiness and an Office of the Future.

这些部门清楚地标示着清醒的金牌货，这些部门对建筑本身的管理过去是一个银行以及一些国家的真正的政府部门，阿联酋有一个幸福的国家和一个未来的办公室。

Despite the pop-up institution’s tongue-in-cheek approach, its exhibitors have some serious points to make. The show seeks to educate visitors on the history of graphic design in the region and demonstrate its importance; in the UAE, graphic design has not always been recognised as a profession.

尽管这个弹出式机构采取的是敷衍了事的方式，但参展商仍有一些严肃的观点要说。该展览旨在教育参观者了解该地区平面设计的历史并展示其重要性；在阿联酋，平面设计并不总是被认为是一种职业。

‘This is work that looks at graphic design as a discipline but it’s also using graphic design to look at the world at large,’ explains artistic director Emily Smith who worked alongside fellow artistic directors Prem Krishnamurthy, Emily Smith and Na Kim to help Fikra founders Salem and Maryam Al-Qassimi bring the exhibition into existence.

“这是以平面设计为一门学科的作品，但它也在使用图形设计来看待这个世界。”艺术导演艾米莉·史密斯解释说，她与其他艺术导演、高级艺术导演Krishnamurthy、艾米莉·史密斯和纳金一道帮助菲克拉创始人塞勒姆和Maryamal-Qassimpi将该展览展示为存在。

Graphics from the Department of Flying Saucers

飞碟部的图形

‘It’s important to us to look at the way that design, as a tool in its critical interdisciplinary perspective, can think about urgent narratives and how to respond to what’s happening right now,’ she continues.

她继续说：“对于我们来说很重要的一点是，设计作为一种重要的跨学科视角，能够思考紧急的叙述，以及如何应对当前发生的事情。

Beyond graphic design, the organisers are hoping that the Fikra Graphic Design Biennial’s success will help to persuade local authorities and developers to rethink how historical architecture can be restored and repurposed in the city and wider region. Restoration of architecture is almost never practiced in the UAE, where space is not in short supply and permission to build is easy to come by.

除了平面设计之外，组织者希望Fikra平面设计双年展的成功将有助于说服地方当局和开发商重新思考如何在城市和更广泛的地区修复和重新利用历史建筑。在阿联酋，几乎从来没有进行过建筑修复，那里的空间并不短缺，建筑许可也很容易获得。

‘I think that there’s a very serious conversation to be had about how we can actually improve the quality of cities,’ comments Tarik Al Zaharna, founder of T.ZED architects. ‘If you need a new space or you need an architecture to host something it’s always easier in a developing country to build it from scratch.’

“我认为，对于我们如何真正提高城市的质量，我们会有一个非常严肃的谈话。”T.ZED建筑师的创立者TarikalZharana说。“如果你需要一个新的空间，或者你需要一个建筑来容纳一些东西，那么在一个发展中国家，它总是更容易在一个发展中国家建造它。”

‘But actually that’s not where the interesting programme happens,’ he continues. ‘The interesting moments and the moments that you can actually build on to create a very interesting narrative are actually to look back and reuse what you already have.’ §

但实际上，有趣的节目并不是在那里进行的，“他继续说。“有趣的时刻和你可以建立起来创造一个非常有趣的故事的时刻实际上是回顾和重用你已经拥有的东西。”

被遗弃的银行大楼位于70年代破碎的积木之中，而被遗弃的银行大楼则位于70年代破碎的积木之中。

在图形乐观的部门，Sharjah-BornDesignerHishamAlMadhloum的早期工作是在图形乐观的部门，Sharjah-BornDesignerHishamAlMadhloum的早期工作正在进行中

作品创作于20世纪80年代和90年代初，展示了一个时期，自学成才的马德鲁姆从上世纪80年代和90年代初在当地艺术舞台上为学科开辟了一条前所未有的道路，作品展示了一个时期，自学成才的马德鲁姆从当地艺术界为这门学科开辟了一条前所未有的道路。

为了反映时尚界目前对街头服装的偏好，Cheb Moha设计了一件长袖T恤，长2.4米，并附有一篇详细的摄影文章。这件衬衫的设计是为了让多个人同时穿，为了让人们以一种不熟悉但又亲密的方式聚集在一起，以反映时尚界目前对街头服饰的偏好，Cheb Moha设计了一件长袖t恤，长2.4米，并附有一篇详细的摄影文章。这件衬衫适合多人同时穿，使人们以一种不熟悉但又亲密的方式聚集在一起。

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