Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar’s Master of Fine Arts in Design Studies (MFA.DESIGN) faculty and students will present a curated exhibit of their new work titled “East-modernism” at Design Days Dubai from tomorrow.“East-modernism” overlays the rich artistic heritage of the Middle East over the foundations of modern design as it utilises traditions of local crafts, revived and reused in a new unusual context, according to Constantin Boym, director of MFA.DESIGN. at VCUQatar and curator of the exhibition. “East-modernism is a wink at Postmodernism, characterised by multiplicity of meaning, irony and cultural criticism,” he explained.The exhibit will include East-modern Furniture by Constantin and Laurene Boym which uses the Autoprogettazione concept, by the celebrated master of Modernism, Italian designer Enzo Mari, as the starting point. In 1974, Mari published a set of his design drawings, calling on consumers to make furniture on their own, and to customise it according to one’s personal cultural tastes. Working with local craftsmen and VCUQatar students, the Boyms overlay Mari’s designs with traditional craft motifs of the Gulf: henna decorations, patterns of brass tacks, sadu cushions.
Sadu Thread Cabinet by assistant professor Thomas Modeen uses the rough wool thread usually used to make traditional Sadu fabrics or carpets as a “wrap-around” surface in a cabinet, thereby using it as both enclosure and decorative texture. The interior of the cabinet can be accessed by parting the thread surface with one’s hands as the cabinet has no doors. Middlefield is a foosball table by assistant professor Paolo Cardini, who updates this object of European origin with signifiers of the Gulf States.His Non-Renewable Oil Lamp – which does not allow for any refills – suggests the limits of natural resources and careful way of their use.Vessel Revisions by Benjamin Jurgensen incorporate tissue boxes, framing them into sculptural compositions of moulded paper pulp and wood.The Shared Glass collection by VCUQatar graduate students Amin Matni, Alia Khairat, Imad Fadel, Rania Chamsine, Corby Elford, and Sameh Ibrahim was created in collaboration with young Italian designers at Fabrica – a cutting-edge design and research centre in Italy. Students envision and produce hybrid objects that mix and match heterogeneous influences, shapes, and functions. This peculiar mixture, a fusion of East and West, a blending of Modernism and tradition, sets up a new precedent for global cultural enterprise. The Middle East’s and South Asia’s first fair dedicated to collectible and limited edition design, the four-day Design Days Dubai will showcase exclusive high-end design pieces by 22 international and regional design galleries. The galleries, drawn from around the world, will present for the first time in Dubai the creative strides and investment opportunities offered by the purchase of high-end design, through an unmatched collection ranging from prototype work to 20th Century classics, with the collectibles ranging from €500 (approximately $655) to €300,000 (approximately $393,000).Among the participating galleries are Coletivo Amor de Madre from Brazil and Croft from Seoul, South Korea, both participating in a design fair outside their home countries for the first time. The fair will mark the premiere of La Galerie Nationale, the first of its kind design gallery that specialises in modern design, and an enchanting Dominic Harris piece showcased by Priveekollektie, which represents internationally recognised artists and designers.
Headlining the fair are design artists, including Jedd Novatt, Guy de Rougemont (Galerie Diane de Polignac, Paris); Joseph Walsh (Nilufar, Milan); Frederik Molenschot (Carpenters Workshop Gallery, London/Paris); Christian Astuguvieille (Franziska Kessler, Zurich); Hans Kotter (Priveekollektie, Heusden); Charles Kalpakian (Galerie BSL, Paris) and Vito Selma (Nakkash Gallery, Dubai).The fair will also feature “Bespoke Design”, a platform to showcase the production-aspect of design, comprising works by French-design brand Moisonnier and PF Emirates, who will showcase iconic collector pieces by Cassina, Cappellini and Poltrona Frau. These masterpieces bear the signatures of influential designers such as Le Corbusier, Jean-Marie Massaud, Tom Dixon, Alessandro Mendini and Franco Albini, some of which are being featured exclusively for the first time in the Middle East.