Skate

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An experimental video made in 2020, on the final day of Kuwait’s iconic ice rink before it was demolished. Out of curiosity, I went to see who was still showing up. Inside, a young skating prodigy practiced with her father and coach like it was any other day. Adults who had skated there in the ’80s tested old moves, and visitors quietly took souvenirs home. The rink, built in 1980, was the first ice rink in the Gulf and the Middle East. Designed by French architect Dominique Beau (1970), the building was made with wood to resemble both a boat and a tent. Tiles that mimicked Sadu Craft. For many, including myself, it was a place tied to growing up, especially for teens and tweens on weekends. I remembered always using it as a reference point just because it was the only place I could navigate to as a kid. This video explores nostalgia, memory, and whether spaces really matter—or is it what spaces represent?