Tashkeel trio credit quarantine creativity for their sustainable Dubai Design Week pieces
Three locally inspired limited-edition products from creators at Tashkeel are part of Dubai Design Week, which starts today. Sustainable materials, such as upcycled palm branches and natural woods and stone, feature in the works by Lina Ghalib, Nada Abu Shaqra and Neda Salmanpour, the trio of “Tanweeners”, participants in Tashkeel’s Tanween design programme.
Yereed by Lina Ghalib
“I have always been drawn to wood since I was a student,” says Ghalib, who designed Yereed, a chair-bench that pays homage to her Egyptian heritage. “Palm, in particular, is part of my identity. Although it is not easy to handle, it offers so many options. I wanted to explore its potential, take time to experiment and see how it could translate further into my design language.”
Ghalib’s experimentation led to her creating a material she calls PlyPalm from palm leaf branches that shed seasonally in the UAE. “One day, I saw some workmen cutting down the dried palm branches and my heart sank; surely we can do something with this raw material instead of throwing it away,” she says. “I took a few pieces to my car and started doing some research. I really had to focus, dig down and come up with designs that would reflect a strong narrative.
“I conducted tests at home, which led to some great answers and suggestions. I came across Sandra Piesik and her book, Arish: Palm-Leaf Architecture. I found out how the ribs, or yereed, were historically used in the UAE and how she developed products using the raw material itself.”
Ghalib’s research led to the creation of her chair-bench, which reintroduces the natural element that is a part of centuries-old tradition and culture, into a modern setting.
Hisn by Nada Abu Shaqra
Freelance architect and interior designer Abu Shaqra says her passion lies in affordability and sustainability when it comes to product design. The creator of the Hisn chair, made of terracotta, powder-coated steel and upholstered fabric, says she designed it with residential and public spaces in mind, for people needing a space to recharge.
“I’m interested in the historical narrative around me and the way places remain, but change in function,” says Abu Shaqra, whose 2018 art installation, For Abu Dhabi, was selected by the emirate’s Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities to be fabricated and assembled in different neighbourhoods around the capital.
“For the Hisn chair, I wanted to subtly reflect UAE vernacular architecture in the design, and in the texture and colour of contemporary materials that have a luxurious, modern connotation. There is this contrast of modern and traditional at the heart of my design rationale.”
Like her Tanween design programme peers, Abu Shaqra found herself completing her project during the pandemic, an experience she says “depended on the mindset you adopted”.
“There were positives and negatives. Self-motivation became critical because we did not have people around to push us forward. So, during the initial two weeks of restrictions, I decided to occupy myself by investing all my energy in developing my design. This became a really productive time for me.”
Qaws by Neda Salmanpour
Where the delicate strokes of a calligrapher’s brush meets brass, 3D-printed plastic and concrete is where you’ll find architect Salmanpour’s lighting work, Qaws. Taking symbols of Middle Eastern culture and processing them in a non-traditional manner is a skill that helped Salmanpour create a contemporary product.
“I chose to focus on a lighting piece because they possess a strong degree of symbolism and are synonymous with cultural identities across the region,” she says. “I wanted to expand the existence of my piece beyond its physical being and dimensions. The projection of light beyond the work itself offered me that opportunity. The result was a deep exploration into the design language of the region and its relationship to maths and geometry. I had to work out how to converge craftsmanship and technology in a contemporary design while obtaining a materiality that felt regionally specific.”
And it’s this regional specificity that pertains to the success of local design talent in the future. “I firmly believe that the UAE can take the world by storm when it comes to design,” says Ghalib. “It’s an exciting time to be here.”
Tashkeel’s Tanween Collection is on sale at the Marketplace, Dubai Design District, until Saturday