The Dubai Design District (d3) will participate at this year’s London Design Fair with the second chapter of its ‘UAE Design Stories: The Next Generation from the Emirates’. The first chapter was held in Milan at the Salone Del Mobile in April.
The London exhibition is being supported by the UAE Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development and will be curated by emirati product designer Khalid Shafar. For the second chapter, d3’s exhibition will be known as ‘Objects of the Past: Today’.
Eight designers will be invited to revisit historical photographic archives of the UAE to discover the pictorial history surrounding the regions nomadic roots. D3 has chosen Abdalla Almulla, an architect; Alia Bin Omair, a jewelry designer; Alia Mazrooei, an interior designer, Aljoud Lootah, multi-disiplinary designer; Azza Al Qubaisi, sculpture and product designer; Rouda Al Shamsi, interior designer; Salem Mansoori, interdisciplinary designer; and Ahmad AlAreef, multidisciplinary bedouin artist.
The designers will be charged with interpreting pieces from the archives into modern day designs, taking inspirations from the UAE’s earliest residents, said a statement from d3.
Sheikh Salem Khalid Al Qassimi, the assistant undersecretary for Knowledge Development, said: “The Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development is keen to support initiatives such as this one that highlight the richness of the UAE’s cultural and creative landscape to a global audience. It is an outstanding achievement to see the UAE Design Stories: The Next Generation from the Emirates exhibition that promotes some of our best Emirati creative talent at leading global events, including Salone del Mobile in Milan in April, London Design Festival in September and the upcoming Emirati Cultural Week in Paris.”
According to d3, the designers will ‘bring to life products and pieces using modern day design methodologies and processes, and present contemporary interpretations of items that held great value to those nomadic families for whom travelling through deserts and oceans was an integral part of life, and navigating ever changing landscapes was a lifestyle.
CEO Mohammad Saeed Al Shehhi said: “d3 is proud to be a part of London Design Fair again this year, and to showcase our country’s heritage through the works of our local designers. I am delighted with our successful showing at Milan earlier this year and look forward to London, Paris and then bringing this exhibition back to Dubai. Supporting our regional designers across the many creative fields in the industry is both an important and strategic step for d3 and Dubai as a creative nerve centre.”
The exhibition will then travel to Paris as part of the UAE-France Cultural Dialogue programme, before returning to Dubai for Dubai Design Week from November 12 to 17.