Yesterday we visited Sharjah's magnificent art spaces to see the latest exhibitions that went up last month. Having been a fan of Ahmed Mater ever since his Deserts of the Pharan series - giant photographs of the holy site of Mecca and the construction around it - I was excited to see his latest show. And I wasn't disappointed.
100 Found Objects includes images, videos and research material that Mater has collected, which chronicle the continuous urban development of Mecca and the narratives that surround Islam's holiest site.
Videos play on outdated mobile phones taped to the windows, old stereoscopes offering multiple views of the site sit on shelves next to old framed photos of a time and place that doesn't exist anymore.
The objects are presented without captions, offering an obscure sense of curiosity as well as an artistic message that the pieces are intended to be viewed as a whole, separate from the individual stories.
The National | Anna Seaman