Art Events

Everyday Life in the Spectacular City: A Documentary Photo Exhibit

Date: May 4 to July 4, 2024

Kutubna is hosting a photo exhibit that is part of Dr. Rana AlMutawa conducted for her book, Everyday Life in the Spectacular City. Published by the University of California Press, the book is a groundbreaking urban ethnography that reveals how middle-class citizens and longtime residents of Dubai interact with the city's spaces to create meaningful social lives. Dr. AlMutawa shows that development projects from big malls to mega projects serve residents' evolving social needs, transforming Dubai's spectacular spaces into personally important cultural sites. Through extensive fieldwork, Dr. AlMutawa, herself an Emirati, finds a nuanced story of belonging that rejects stereotypes portraying Dubai's developments as alienating and inherently disempowering.