Western architecture has long been fascinated by the Middle East, from the Tuareg or Bedouin nomads' tents to the casbahs of Morocco. Yet that world is frequently considered to be so far removed that it is difficult to access and can only be seen through the distant lens of other media. Here, the Vitra Museum's exhibition changes things by making the experience of such architectural creations immediate for the visitor – that is, unmediated – by creating reproductions of just those visions of domestic design that may inform the everyday life of the Arab world, but which are unknown to Europeans. How everyday life is lived in the Middle East is brought to real life, and challenges the expectations and gives a fascinating counterpoint for those visiting the exhibition. Along with showing the way tradition mixes with modern inventions, "Living Under the Crescent Moon" does not shy away from showing the negative along with the positive, here in the form of the ills of modernization, with the loss of some tradition, the decay of city centers, and the rural exodus. An engaged and engaging view.

Living Under the Crescent Moon: Domestic Culture in the Arab World
February 23 through August 31, 2008

Vitra Design Museum
Charles-Eames-Strasse 1
D-79576 Weil am Rhein
T. +49 (0) 7621 702 3200