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Some steel framing, shade cloth and oil paint—that seems a simple enough recipe to build shelters for cricket team members while they’re in the hot sun in Lusail, Qatar. But when handled by an artist and design studio, a simple shelter inspired by temporary spaces for construction workers is anything but ordinary.
The shelters were designed in a collaboration between Seoul, South Korea-based studio MOTOElastico and artist Michael Perrone. They’re made of steel framing and Gale Pacific shade cloth and outfitted with benches and a plywood floor. The paint treatment, done in hues of gold or blue, merges the shelters into the urban landscape or the dazzling sunset.
“[The Gale Pacific shade cloth] is commonly used for outdoor installations, but it works very well as a canvas,” says Marco Bruno, MOTOElastico partner.
The overarching goal of the project, besides giving respite to athletes in a beautiful way, is to use art and design to help shift the current perception of street cricket, the designers note in a release about the project.
The shelters reside at the Lusail Cricket Ground, a public space containing 15 pitches managed by the Qatar Cricket Association, but the Doha area overall doesn’t have a lot of infrastructure for the game. Often people play improvised games in empty lots.
The structures are considered temporary—expected to be up for just a few years—and could be transported and installed in a different location if needed.
Project by: MOTOElastico and Michael Perrone
Location: Lusail Cricket Ground, Lusail, Qatar
Design team: Marco Bruno, Michael Perrone, Simone Carena
Commissioner: Qatar Museum, Public Art Department
Construction: Abdullah Ibrahim Jaidah and Sons
Fabric: Gale Pacific shade cloth Commercial 95® 340
Images: MOTOElastico/Raviv Cohen