As Dubai builds unprecedented realms of new luxury, other parts of the Middle East grapple with physical and symbolic histories. Relics come up against re-invention and revolution. And micro-mutations in Middle Eastern politics or economics have become part of our shared "local" news around the globe.
Brought to us by the publishers of "Bidoun," the critically acclaimed quarterly, "With/Without" is an anthology that casts an eye across the broader swathes of the Middle East today. Featuring an intriguing, mock-archival design, this equally text- and image-heavy publication is divided into 14 chapters, each of which takes on an architectural or institutional typology--the museum, the villa, the street, the skyscraper, etc.--and illustrates it with essays, interviews and documentary photographs. Featuring more than 30 contributions from writers, artists, designers and architects including Rem Koolhaas, Armin Linke and Keller Easterling, it takes on subjects as diverse as the redevelopment of Martyr's Square in Beirut; gated communities in Istanbul; Dubai's mall culture; bridge building in Mecca; and the creation of a new Iraqi flag in the post-Saddam era. The underlying question in all of these inquiries is: How do spaces and territories form fundamental ideas about individuals, communities, and worlds?