Tashkeel continues its support of UAE design with the world premiere of locally-made and inspired, limited-edition pieces at Dubai Design Week
14 limited edition, contemporary furniture and lighting design pieces reflecting the UAE’s rich heritage will be featured in the ‘Tanween by Tashkeel’ showcase at Dubai Design Week this year, including three new pieces conceived and produced by talented UAE-based emerging designers during the 2020 Tanween design programme at Tashkeel.
The Dubai-based organisation’s annual Tanween design programme – which was developed to nurture emerging UAE-based designers towards creating products inspired by and designed and manufactured in the UAE – will debut three limited-edition pieces at Dubai Design Week’s d3 Building Atrium #5 and Downtown Design Online from 9-14 November. The new furniture and lighting pieces have been designed by product designer Lina Ghalib, architect Neda Salmanpour and interior designer Nada Abu Shaqra as part of the rigorous 2020 edition of the programme.
Tashkeel will also be debuting a new collection of Tanween+ affordable products, a range of talks and workshops as part of the Dubai Design Week Masterclass, Maker Space and Downtown Design online programming this year.
“This year, designers were faced with an unprecedented challenge of not only sustaining their practice but shifting priorities and reimagining design to be more adaptive, resilient, conscious and utilitarian within physical limitations. Dubai Design Week visitors will get to experience how our 2020 Tanween design programme participants have embraced this opportunity to create problem-solving designs that innovatively weave traditional materials and techniques that are integral to UAE identity with their contemporary outlook,” says Lisa-Ball Lechgar, the deputy director of Tashkeel. “We also have various avenues for enthusiasts who want to learn more about design, hone their skills and purchase some distinctive pieces made in the UAE during the fair at various locations in d3, Tashkeel in Nad Al Sheba and also online.”
Tanween by Tashkeel
9-14 November from 10 am to 10 pm and 14 November from 10 am to 5 pm at the d3 Building Atrium #5. Also 9-14 November on Downtown Design Online.
Alongside furniture and lighting pieces from The Tanween Collection, the ‘Tanween by Tashkeel’ exhibition will present the worldwide debut of three pieces from the 2020 Tanween design programme.
Yereed by Lina Ghalib is an Arish bench-seat made of Plypalm, wood, stainless steel and leather, inspired by those who have survived and thrived in hostile environments by identifying a single natural element as a source of life.
Hisn by Nada Abu Shaqra is a chair made of terracotta, powder-coated steel and upholstered fabric. The design is inspired by the UAE vernacular architecture and contextual materials, based on research into the dynamics of traditional form and the space they create.
Qaws by Neda Salmanpour is a suspended lighting fixture made of brass, 3D-printed PLA plastic with a concrete finish. The piece has been developed through analysis of existing design language embedded in the built environment and inherited objects around us.
In this edition of the programme, Tanween’s scope morphed and expanded as it drew on the capacities and successes of its alumni. The cross-generational mentorship and exchange seen in the growing Tanween community are an organic articulation of the programme’s essence of collaboration and dialogue. During Dubai Design Week, applications will be open for the 2021 Tanween design programme.
Tanween+ & Made in Tashkeel
Friday, 13 November from 10 am to 10 pm and Saturday 14 November from 10 am to 5 pm at Dubai Design Week Marketplace in d3
In addition to items from the Made in Tashkeel collection, Tashkeel will be selling a range of small, affordable, homeware products and accessories that capture the essence of the UAE under its brand Tanween+, developed by Tanween programme alumni, at Dubai Design Week’s Marketplace and online at tashkeel.org/shop.
The Tashkeel stand at the Marketplace will reveal 2 new Tanween+ products:
The Mar’a Pocket Mirror and Mar’a Wall Mounted Mirror by Yara Habib pays homage to the remarkable aesthetics of Al Sadu weaving. The pocket mirror combines wood, thread and metal using hand and machine-made techniques, while the wall mirror blends multiple materials and different techniques of wood layering and textile weaving, both a tribute to the Emirati weavers and the UAE’s preservation of culture and drive for innovation.
About Tashkeel
Established in Dubai in 2008 by Lateefa bint Maktoum, Tashkeel seeks to provide a nurturing environment for the growth of contemporary art and design practice rooted in the UAE. Through multidisciplinary studios, workspaces and galleries located in both Nad Al Sheba and Al Fahidi, it enables creative practice, experimentation and dialogue among practitioners and the wider community. Operating on an open membership model, Tashkeel’s annual programme of training, residencies, workshops, talks, exhibitions, international collaborations and publications aims to further practitioner development, public engagement, lifelong learning and the creative and cultural industries.
Tashkeel’s range of initiatives includes: Tanween, which takes a selected cohort of emerging UAE-based designers through a nine-month development programme to take a product inspired by the surroundings of the UAE from concept to completion; critical practice, which invites visual artists to embark on a one-year development programme of studio practice, mentorship and training that culminates in a major solo presentation; MakeWorks UAE, an online platform connecting creatives and fabricators to enable designers and artists accurate and efficient access to the UAE manufacturing sector; exhibitions and workshops to challenge artistic practice, enable capacity building and grow audience for the arts in the UAE; and the heart of Tashkeel, its membership, a community of creatives with access to facilities and studio spaces to refine their skills, undertake collaborations and pursue professional careers.
Visit tashkeel.org
