Residents of the UAE are inspired by heritage in contemporary experiences
Dubai Design: Creations about identity and the elements of society
Dana Amr inspired by the Emirati burqa a complete set of designs consisting of furniture, jewelry and fabrics.
Photography: Ahmed Arditi
Dana Amr inspired by the Emirati burqa a complete set of designs consisting of furniture, jewelry and fabrics.
Photography: Ahmed Arditi
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The exhibition of residents in the Emirates at Dubai Design Week, which ends tomorrow, was dominated by designs derived from Emirati heritage, which carry within it the expression of local identity, as well as desert life, as well as works loaded with social elements that focus on psychological dimensions, especially for children.
The designs presented in this section vary, starting from chairs and tables, and extending to fabrics, cubes and mirrors, as well as gold, to represent in their entirety a view of local creations in the world of design.
Burqa
Dana Amr, a professor at the College of Fine Arts and Design at the University of Sharjah, Jordanian, presented a design inspired by the Emirati burqa, so that she transformed the details of the burqa, which belongs to the Emirati heritage, into a seat and table, so that the details of her designs were taken from the shape of the burqa.
About this work, Amr said to "Emirates Today": “I worked on the shape of the chair so that it corresponds to the Emirati burqa, which is a piece out of a complete set of designs consisting of pieces of furniture, jewelry and fabrics related to the shape of the burqa, and the idea at the beginning was just simple drawings aimed at presenting what It belongs to the Emirates, and has evolved into all shapes and designs ».
Amr added: “The pieces were inspired by the Emirati burqa, which is related to the heritage of Emirati women, and it was incorporated into the existing furniture pieces, and I undertook the process of completing the pieces of furniture, and at the beginning there were many experiments with the type of materials he used in the chair, in the beginning there was wood and copper, But in the end I came to use wood and velvet.
Heritage items
Amr pointed out that her work was also inspired by the work of the international designer Hans Wegener, and it was transformed and changed in order to be more related to the shape of the burqa, noting that it is possible to reformulate the heritage elements in a contemporary way, but it is necessary to work on it in a simpler way as possible, in order to keep the shape inspired From the main form, as there remains a link between heritage and contemporary, and this requires a lot of time for the final result to emerge.
She believed that her specialization related to heritage and history makes her, in one way or another, always return to the elements inspired by heritage, to emphasize and enhance the cultural identity of society. The design idea should not be simplified even if it appears simple in form.
Amr noted that her participation in the Dubai Design Week is the first, and through it this idea that is related to the burqa and which it develops on many products and designs is highlighted, noting that the challenges in design are how to introduce the heritage element into the design, and how it matches the first idea in terms of aesthetics. Several drawings are executed to present the final idea, along with the production process, its ease of application and production.
Art therapy
As a case, the Syrian designer Lynn presented the project "Text Text .. A Tool for Art Therapy", which is a tool used in art therapy for children, because it helps them express their feelings and present stories that they cannot express in words, through drawing and coloring.
The designer spoke about the work and said: “After the outbreak of war in Syria, the crisis continues to have a tremendous impact on the mental health of Syrian children, and the multifunctional design is based on the experiences of psychotherapists who specialize in treating children with PTSD through art therapy.”
As for the materials from which they are made, they consist of two parts, a section consisting of chalk and a section of wax colors, and for this they come in the form of cubes that can be installed, as well as being used by children for drawing and coloring.
On the aspect related to the mental health of children, Kahleh confirmed that the project was designed under the supervision of specialists in psychotherapy for children who have gone through harsh psychological conditions, noting that they used art therapy with them by using various games, including puzzle synthesis or even arts and drawing, as it turned out that drawing and coloring It is their language the most helpful in therapy, and because children give each type of emotion with a specific color.
On the development of design, she pointed out that with time and use, the basic shape of the cubes' shapes may disappear, but the cube shape gives the child the ability to draw straight lines.
Environmental targets
In addition to the therapeutic-oriented designs, a set of designs with environmental goals were presented, including the work presented by Tamiya Rahman, as it was presented through cooperation between the College of Fine Arts and Design with Bee'ah Company for Waste Management, to establish a project to produce artistic masterpieces made from recycled materials, from By choosing a special concept that reflects the culture of the UAE, the furniture pieces express this trend par excellence.
From furniture to antique-like pieces under the title "Missing Antiquities", presented by artist Remsha Qadawi, who deals in her designs with the nature of migration in the desert, the transformative character of humans and quicksand, which conceal traces of human presence in the desert, as landscapes change.
Her artwork depicts the organic composition of two materials that exist in harmony, but they do not merge with each other, as the piece represents the embodiment of the essential character of the desert and the Bedouin, which is the continuity of movement and mobility.
Design and identity
The issue of identity and belonging was printed in many designs that were placed in the exhibition on the work of residents in the Emirates, where the works were inspired by the Emirates or strongly expressing the Emirati identity, including the work of Yara Habib, which bore the title «Fragments of Identity», which are sculpted mirrors that reveal how Human experiences, cultures, and the external environment make up our identity, and each mirror has two parts, one is a multi-layered side, the other is a flat reflective mirror.
The multi-layered section mixes patterns, lines, colors and combinations that express the overlap of cultural and emotional connotations.
Meanwhile, Emirati Mohammed Al-Suwaidi presented the revolving coffee table project, titled “Milling Table” inspired by the milling machine that is used locally for grinding grains. It is made of Ghaf wood cut from local trees and inlaid with oyster shells.
"Corridors and spaces of the soul"
This week, the Dubai Design District witnessed the unveiling of a huge artistic monument called "Corridors and Spaces of the Soul" designed by artist Ihab Al Laban.
This artwork, which is added to a group of unique artistic compositions in Dubai, presented by the Chalhoub Group, to the Dubai Design District of the Tecom Group, is an expression of the strong strategic partnership between the two parties.
The monument was unveiled yesterday, in the presence of the CEO of the Chalhoub Group, Patrick Shalhoub, the CEO of the Tecom Group and the General Director of the Dubai Development Authority, Malik Al Malik, the Chief Commercial Officer of the Tecom Group, Abdullah Belhoul, the CEO of Dubai Retail Company, Nabil Ramadan, and the Executive Director. Dubai Design District, Khadija Al Bastaki.
The sculpture «Arcades and Spaces of the Soul» is a sculpture displayed in an open area consisting of two similar parts standing opposite each other, but they meet at the top of the artwork.
This convergence of the two similar parts of the artwork symbolizes the inevitability of the merging between the East and West civilizations and their cultures, and that when they converge, they form a single entity that embraces those who shelter in its internal space.
“We are proud of our partnership with the Chalhoub Group and its important strategic role in promoting our creative community,” Khadija Al-Bastaki said, adding that “this work is an important addition to the most prominent neighborhood of creativity and innovation in the region.”
"Artworks in public places occupy a major place in terms of aesthetics, culture and economy, and they are an essential part of the vitality of societies and their economies," she added.
It provides new ways to celebrate talent, empower local designers, artists and thinkers, and this work - along with others - defines the unique personality of the Dubai Design District. ”
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