Designs of Arabia
visits the Emirati design show curated by Khalid Shafar, in collaboration with d3, during Milan’s Design Week
Emirati product designer and curator Khalid Shafar, in collaboration with d3, led top designers from the UAE to Milan to exhibit during Design Week
It was a natural progression. For years, Dubai’s internationally recognised Design District (d3) has been nurturing the best local talent, as well as welcoming international collaborations with world-renowned designers, brands, architects and artists. Embracing this momentum, d3 successfully showcased the work of 11 cutting-edge Emirati creatives, curated by internationally known product designer Khalid Shafar, at Milan Design Week.
More than 1500 people attended the exhibition, ‘ UAE Design Stories: The Next Generation from The Emirates’, which was hosted in the world’s first purpose-built creative district and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development at this year’s Salone Del Mobile International design fair.
Mohammad Saeed Al Shehhi, CEO at d3 said, “We would like to extend our deepest thanks to the UAE Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, whose extensive support enabled us to make this exhibition a huge success; and to Khalid Shafar, who curated this project and brought it to life. We are extremely proud of all eleven of our designers, who helped highlight the region’s creativity and contemporary thinking at this prestigious event.”
Local designers included: Alia Mazrooei and Roudha Alshamsi; multidisciplinary designer Aljoud Lootah; conceptual artists and designers Zeinab Alhashemi and Latifa Saeed; sculptor and product designer Azza Al Qubaisi; jewellery designer Alia bin Omair; interdisciplinary designer Salem Al-Mansoori; architect Abdalla Almulla; Bedouin Emirati artist Ahmad AlAreef; and culinary expert Bader Najeeb, who fused design and food to create a truly unique gastronomic experience.
Khafar’s task as curator was not easy, and held many challenges. “Time and deadlines [were the greatest challenges]; it was due to the tight deadline we had [that] all showcased works were existing. Therefore, building the first chapter [of the] story – starting with the showcase content, moving up to create a link between all works and accordingly coming up with the story title – was among the greatest challenges,” he explains.
His task as curator was extremely focused and quality-driven, which meant the selection process held standards that only the select few could truly meet.
“Although there is a great amount of talent in this region, the focus was on UAE nationals to take part in this exhibition. I believe the number of fulltime designers is still somehow limited in UAE and the region and therefore it was not that difficult to identify those designers. I believe this is a very positive point to consider, as through this exhibition we are highlighting and supporting those designers to become solid examples for the next batch of design students, to take design as full-time career, and for younger students to move towards design higher education.” he continues.
His approach meant that those unfamiliar with the talent of the region were often surprised. “Many had expected a national type of exhibition focusing on heritage, traditions and crafts, whereas the surprise was a ‘refreshing’ theme and the topic revolved around ‘nature’ and ‘ landscape.’ Many perceived this to be a very exciting and new angle [through which] to look at Emirati design and how it’s influenced by the indigenous landscape around,” Khafar says.
This excitement was of the essence, as Milan Design Week is the place to ‘ be and be seen’ in the design community. “It’s a very serious industry event that it’s very important for any designer to take part in and to be evaluated by international experts. Therefore, our designers needed to face this reality
“Many perceived this to be a very exciting and new angle [through which] to look at Emirati design and how it’s influenced by the indigenous landscape around...”
and get serious connections with the industry to grow further and spread Emirati design across the borders. Many had realised the seriousness of being at such a platform and learned what it takes to prepare for such participation and involvement. They also received valuable feedback in regard to their practice and their creations, which is very important for them to consider in their future work,” Khafar reflects.
His advice for young designers who want to go next year: “Be well-prepared and research beforehand so you design and create suitable products that fit such platforms and that can open for you new markets and collaborations.”