Special Project.
Michael Rakowitz Dar Al Sulh
May 2013
As part of The Moving Museum Dubai, Dar Al Sulh was commissioned by Michael Rakowitz. Translated to ‘Domain of Conciliation’, this pop-up restaurant ran for 7 nights at Traffic in Dubai welcoming over 60 people per night, serving recipes preserved from the artist’s Iraqi- Jewish grandmother, whose ingredients and combinations were specific to the Jewish population of Iraq.
Dar Al Sulh represented an important step in the history of the Arab world to engage in an open discourse about its multi-ethnic and religious histories. The dinners were hosted by Traffic public space which had transformed the cultural landscape of Dubai over several years and culminated its stint in Dubai with the end of Dar Al Sulh. The co-hosts and interlocutors were Regine Basha who showcased Tuning Baghdad, the music component to the event and Dr. Ella Habiba Shohat, a professor of Cultural Studies at New York University and affiliated faculty with NYU Abu Dhabi who has carried out extensive research on this history of Arab Jews.
A small cook-book was produced as part of the project and was covered by Creative Time Reports. Since 2013, Dar Al Sulh has seen various iterations in London and elsewhere.
