Doha, November 15 (QNA) – The Fire Station is an art center with a special characteristic that combines authenticity and modernity in one place. The center offers artists a space for creativity through artistic residencies programs, and attracts members of the local community in the State of Qatar through a variety of exhibitions and public programs.
The Fire Station will attract visitors and fans during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. In cooperation with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), the Center will organize art workshops dedicated to players of the national teams participating in the tournament.
Two Qatari artists, Maryam Faraj Daham and Fatma Al Nuaimi, will present a series of art workshops for team players who wish to participate. The workshops aim to link sports and art, and how players’ energy can be invested in producing artworks, by following a special method related to football and how to simulate the skill games of players.
The Fire Station currently hosts three diverse exhibitions: “Note to Self”; “From – To – (Water/Sky/Earth)”; and “Art is Not a Race”; in addition to some experiences and artistic creations currently available in the Fire Stations galleries, which will constitute a cultural and artistic destination for World Cup fans and will continue until the end of Jan. 2023.
The Fire Station was built in 1882, and was used as a fire station for more than 30 years as well as the headquarters of the Civil Defense. In Dec. 2012, the last fire extinguisher was removed, and the place became part of Qatar Museums (QM) which was keen to preserve the original facade of the building and many of its main features during the renovation process to maintain its authenticity.
In 2014, the building was renovated to host the “Fire Station: Artist in Residence”. Qatari Architect Ibrahim Al Jaidah, who was commissioned to redesign the interior of the building to meet the artists needs, preserved the original details of the building, such as its distinctive honeycomb facade and the tower, but added an annex and an additional building.
After transforming the Fire Station building into a contemporary art scene, it become a place to display art and introduce artists, engaging with the local community and nurturing emerging talent through its artistic programs.
The Fire Station can be reached by private car or taxi, and the nearest metro station to it is the Corniche Metro Station (Red Line).
The building is located near Al Bidda Park in central Doha, and includes studios and spacious workspaces, a woodworking woodshop, and a Fabrication Lab, as well as the Fire Station Cinema, Cafe #999, Cas Art (an art supply store), and exhibition spaces hosting local and international art galleries.
The Fire Station supports local artists by providing opportunities to present art and design workshops, and organizing other field creative activities, in addition to supporting artists and curators at all artistic stages through a wide range of residency programs that provide a space for work, creative exchange, and cultural enrichment in Qatar and abroad through international programs in Paris and New York.
As part of Qatar Museums’ sustainability initiatives, the Fire Station building was awarded the ‘LEED v4.1 EB: O+M Silver Certification’ under the ‘LEED v4.1 Existing Building: Operations & Management (EB: O+M)’ rating system in 2020.
Also, in 2020, the Fire Station successfully achieved ‘GSAS OPERATIONS Silver Certification’ under the Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD) green building rating system developed focusing on the efficient Operations and Maintenance (O&M) of existing facilities.
The Fire Station is the first LEED v4.1 EB: O+M certified project in the entire State of Qatar and the fifth in the Middle East region, and it is the first museum project to achieve GSAS Operations certification. (QNA)