Released while Dubai hosted the World Expo and coincided with an exhibition of the same name at Jameel Arts Centre, the new book ‘Off Centre/ On Stage’ argued that the city has long been a site of exhibition.

Dozens of unpublished photographs examine Dubai in the 1970s, when a still small but growing population was working to create a bigger future. In a new and illustrated essay, architect and writer Todd Reisz explored how more than just new buildings, ports, and roads were being assembled: mythologies were also being created.

Designed by Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès, Founding Director of the Khatt Foundation and Khatt Books, the publication revealed that photography is something beyond documentation.

Jameel Arts Centre held a conversation about the journey of making a book centred around architecture, Kodachrome imagery and the dispersed archives that tell Dubai’s stories. Joining Reisz and AbiFarés was Mark Harris, one of the architects whose photographs fill the book. It was followed by a book signing facilitated by the Art Jameel Shop. Visitors got a chance to have a guided tour of the exhibition.

Registrations are now closed.