Between East and West

the long version

'Between East and West: A Gulf' looks towards the contested hydrography of the Arabian/Persian Gulf and proposes a new masterplan for the region. In an area of physical, religious, and political division, the publication tells the story of the Gulf's islands and the possibilities they hold for a joint territorial project. Hundreds of islands dot the waters between the Arabian and Persian shores. An afterthought in the political maneuverings of their respective coasts, tell an alternative narrative to the one which drives conceptions of the region. They represent a possibility greater than spaces of political contestation and hesitant demarcation. These islands are the sites of identity in formation, places of experimentation and architectural invention. Their historical roles were as varied as places of leisure, spirituality, planning, war, exile, and health.