A gathering of local and international designers
Manasa celebrates Emirati craftsmanship and heritage at Expo 2020
The platform highlights the work of more than 40 local and international designers.
From the source
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The Design and Crafts Program at Expo 2020 Dubai launched “Mansa” - the Emirati design platform, which highlights the work of more than 40 local and international designers, telling stories about the UAE through collections of exclusive designs.
Millions of visitors to Expo 2020 will have the opportunity to explore Emirati crafts and heritage with a contemporary vision, as the “platform” includes seven design collections entitled “Crafts Stories”, designed in collaboration between local and international designers, and “Designer of the Week”, a showcase of the exclusive work of 24 designers and institutions from all over the world. Throughout the UAE, it sheds light on the diversity and activity of the modern design scene in the country.
cultural dialogue
Hayat Shamsuddin, Senior Vice President of Arts and Culture at Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “The collective approach of (Platform) is inspired by the main slogan of Expo 2020 Dubai (Connecting Minds, Creating the Future) and its essence.
By bringing together artisans and designers from the UAE and around the world, we support a rich cultural and creative dialogue that contributes to building a meaningful legacy after the conclusion of Expo 2020.”
She added, "The content that we present at Expo 2020 via (platform) is innovative and striking, and will capture the hearts of visitors and captivate their imaginations.
We are extremely proud of the achievement of this program, and we firmly believe that it will contribute to stimulating a new vision towards Emirati crafts and their appreciation as a modern and vivid expression of our cultural identity, at the local and global levels.”
The Craft Stories, commissioned by Manasa, represents a dialogue between local and international designers and artisans who are invited to explore and represent Emirati crafts and culture in a new way.
Each story fuses the skills and rich legacy of Emirati craftsmen with modern creativity and innovation in terms of techniques and materials, and represents a multi-disciplinary journey that embodies the many facets of the UAE, inspired by its landscapes, people, heritage, values and identity.
documentaries
Along with the design collections, a series of documentaries will be shown in different locations in the UAE, drawing visitors further into the private worlds of artisans, their crafts and traditions.
“8000 Waves: The Story of Diving in Search of Pearls” represents the first story in the “Crafts Stories” series from “Manassa”, as well as a joint work between the Spanish design studio “Todomota” and the Emirati design studio “Asateer”, which was founded by Mohammed Al Suwaidi, He is the grandson of one of the pearl divers, who specializes in making handmade products from mother-of-pearl and raw materials.
harmonious shapes
Crafted from iron and inlaid with mother-of-pearl extracted from oyster shells from local farms in Ras Al Khaimah, the harmonious shapes of the collection embody the 8,000-year history of pearl diving in the UAE, and are inspired by the waves of the Arabian Gulf.
As for the "Designer of the Week" group, it will present a picture of the diversity of the design scene across the UAE, by presenting the works of 24 designers residing in the UAE.
ability to express
Samer Yamani, artistic curator of Manasa, the Emirati design platform at Expo 2020, said: “The crafts have a distinctive ability to express local culture and the identity of peoples, and through a poetic approach to this ability, we used Emirati crafts as a tool for communication and combined them with contemporary design, new techniques and materials, In order to convey more local stories and enhance the experience of our visitors through our exclusive collections of designs.”
huge interface
All the pieces and collections of designs will be on display and for sale in the “Manassa” hall, which features a huge glass facade, designed by Carmelo Zappola and Rami Al Ali, and combines 3D printing with local crafts.
Manasa, the Emirati design platform, is located on the ground floor of the Rove Expo 2020 Hotel, adjacent to Al Wasl Square, and will open its doors daily throughout the duration of Expo 2020 Dubai.
11 countries
The selection comes from 11 countries and four continents.
Among the designers and institutions participating in it: Al Ghadeer Emirati Crafts, Alia Bin Omair, Ammar Kalou, in Al Arabi, Irthi Council for Contemporary Crafts, Khaled Al Shafar, and Tashkeel Center.
International designers and international design brands include BD Barcelona Design Foundation (from Spain), Studio Campana (from Brazil), Iwan Maktabi (from Lebanon), Studio Kloof (from India) and Nicolas Gibran (from Lebanon).
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