@AbuDhabiArt Abu Dhabi Art Design Programme Presents Platform for UAE Designers and Highlights Architecture

Abu Dhabi Art Design Programme Presents Platform for UAE Designers and Highlights Architecture

Talks, presentations, workshops and a specially commissioned design souq, highlight UAE aesthetics both traditional and contemporary, whilst celebrating an increasingly vibrant design market and its growing audience

Abu Dhabi Art’s expanding Design Programme continues to support UAE designers, and will this year, also highlight architecture through a commissioned structure by one of the world’s leading architects.

Abu Dhabi Art Design includes a wide spectrum of progressive designs presented in the form of architecture, furniture, product design, jewellery, wearable art and traditional handicraft, highlighting the UAE’s unique aesthetics. Through individual presentations, new commissions and collaborative ventures and workshops, UAE and international designers are featured alongside artisans.

This year focuses particular attention on architecture – unmistakably interspersed throughout the city and country’s landscape - as a major discipline within the design programme. Abu Dhabi Art presents a special panel by leading artists and architects and a commission by legendary Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, who will design a mobile structure inspired by the environment, the culture and heritage of the city.

A highlight panel exploring the close affinities and at times, relationship between art and architecture welcomes legendary artists, architects and representatives of leading museums and galleries that support the production and consideration of both disciplines. Conceptual artist Jenny Holzer, architect Jean Nouvel, President of the Pompidou Centre in Paris Alain Seban, who was recently voted one of the most powerful people in the art world, and gallerist Thaddaeus Ropac will discuss the critical role both art and architecture play in the shared historical and philosophical foundations of these two creative forms, in addition to current and future projects, and the vision and life-blood of cities.

The Ban-designed structure will house the Abu Dhabi Art Design Souq, a defined area for designers and artisans to share their process and development through a number of presentations, collaborative ventures and commissioned projects by: Mohammad Al Mandi, Mohammed Abedin, Nazzy Beglari, Nasir Nasrallah, Aljoud Lootah, Janeth Quintanilla, Azza Al Qubaisi, Francois Clerc with students from Center for Architecture, Art and Design at AUS and artisans of Intangible Cultural Heritage from the Culture Sector of the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi). The design programme also sheds light on UAE craft as it is re-imagined and shaped by new technologies and concepts for design, into contemporary forms.

“Design is etched into our history and continues to be an ever-present part of our culture. This year, Abu Dhabi Art explores the fundamentals and necessities of architecture - bringing together top UAE and international designers who will discuss and deliberate this subject through their words and works,” says says Reem Al Mansoori, Public Engagement Programmer, TCA Abu Dhabi.

This year Abu Dhabi Art will introduce the Abu Dhabi Art UAE Designer Programme, an exciting annual programme that seeks to provide an unparalleled opportunity for emerging UAE designers to develop and produce a unique and innovative design product that incorporates elements of UAE craft. In its inaugural year, Abu Dhabi Art Design partners with the British Council to support two designers throughout the course of one year to develop and produce a prototype and plan for taking the product to market. Starting in 2013, the final prototypes will be presented at Abu Dhabi Art 2014. The two designers selected this year Mohammed Abedin and Aljoud Lootah, will both present their current work as part of the Abu Dhabi Art Design Souq.

The Abu Dhabi Art Design programme continues to support and promote young Emiratis through the Wings Project, a unique initiative that invites emerging artists and designers to uniquely recreate the Abu Dhabi Art ‘wing’ logo. This is then used for branding across the event’s merchandise and available at Artyfact, the boutique retail store that presents a collection of limited edition items featuring designs by emerging Emirati designers. UAE designers Abdullah Al Tenaiji, Hajer Hamad Al Hajri, Hessa Al Joker, Fatima Al Joker, Hind Al Jeraishi, Luluwa Khalfan Almehairbi, and Shaima Abdul Rahman Al Marzooqi will also have products available at Artyfact.

In addition, an extensive collection of art, design and architecture books, catalogues and magazines published by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority will also be obtainable. The TASCHEN bookstore, will present a collection of unique publications at this year’s fair, showcasing their wide range of art, architecture and design titles. Guests will be able to see first-hand the quality of the publications which puts TASCHEN as the leading publisher of architecture and design books.

Abu Dhabi Art Design workshops will be offered once per day from Thursday 21 to Saturday 23 November from 11am-1pm including two workshops with UAE designer Sara Alaidarous and artisans of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and a one-off workshop with the French designer Francois Clerc that offers a hands-on opportunity to explore the design of bread and create your very own form of bread to admire - and even consume!