How UAE creatives are breaking the mould at Downtown Design

At the annual event in d3, traditions and cultural motifs inspire functionality and aesthetics

Several works at Downtown Design use unusual materials, including plywood made from palm. Antonie Robertson / The National

Local designers are putting their best foot forward at Downtown Design, showcasing several works that make use of unexpected and sustainable materials, from a dresser made of papyrus to a cabinet inspired by the Emirati burqa.

One standout display is the returning UAE Designer Exhibition. The exhibition highlights works by more than 30 independent designers and studios. While the works are disparate in form and function, the exhibition brings them together with a harmonious curation, alluding to a living space that is as modern as it is environmentally conscious.

The designers all live and work in the UAE, but as they hail from various backgrounds, they bring a medley of inspirations that blend together with cosmopolitan grace.

“The exhibition is inspired by comfort and functionality,” Omar Al Gurg, founder of Modu Method and curator of the exhibition, tells The National. “Not necessarily comfortable to the touch, it doesn’t have to be that, but more of an emotional comfort, mental comfort.”

This dedication to comfort was part of the design call. Al Gurg says: “I wanted everybody's design to work with each other, so I gave them a little brief beforehand. Some of the pieces existed previously and just fit into the brief of the exhibit, and then there were other pieces that were specifically developed for this exhibition.”

Several designs take cues directly from Emirati traditions and cultural motifs. Hessa Alghandi’s Shibriya, for instance, is a bench that draws inspiration from the furniture pieces of her grandmother’s home in Shindagha. The bench features traditional rope weavings with loose strings repurposed from unfinished carpets. Anwaar Abdulla Alhosani’s Mudkhar, meanwhile, rethinks the Emirati incense receptacle, the medkhana.

“We usually connect smell with memories,” Alhosani says. “I wanted to connect nostalgic sentiments of that into this contemporary incense burner.” The two vertical pieces feature an undulating design. Drawers are fitted at the bottom, where the incense burns, whereas holes have been designed on its sloped surfaces, from where the smoke is emitted. Different incense can be placed in each of the burners, allowing users to mix scents.

Aya Moug, meanwhile, is showcasing a material she has developed with her dresser. The material, she has dubbed Byblos, utilises papyrus plants from the banks of the Nile, fashioning them into a durable biomaterial. “It is an alternative to marble and stone, and is a 100 per cent natural material,” she says. Byblos, she says, can be used in myriad ways, from furniture designs to architectural elements. “It's as strong as concrete and marble, and it's very durable,” she says. “You can actually shape it in whatever form you want.”

Displayed beside Moug’s dresser are coat hangers that have also been fashioned from an unexpected material. Lina Ghalib’s Karab is a contemporary take on the coat hanger, designed with the region in mind. It features brass accents, but its core material is plywood made from palm. “The branches are actually thick to the core,” Ghalib says. “Sometimes they're as thick as 3cm. We cut them at different intervals, then we shave them off and we glue them together to make a hardwood material.

“The whole concept is that usually homes and villas, entryways and receptions are missing a coat hanger, because it's not in our culture in the Middle East, and usually it’s not the prettiest piece of furniture. I wanted to design something that is functional and aesthetically pleasing if it’s not in use.”

There are several other highlights in the exhibition, from a carpet that fuses the sensibilities of Emirati and Amazigh creatives, to visually stunning and stackable plant pots made from hemp fibre and recycled plastic.

Jamal Hamsho, meanwhile, is displaying a unique furniture set crafted from waste concrete. “I'm an architect, and when I used to go to sites, I’d see there was a lot of waste material, so I decided to take it and make artistic pieces of furniture,” Hamsho says. The furniture pieces take several weeks to craft and often bear delightful inconsistencies. Hamsho leans towards these particularities with a brutalist aesthetic. His table, for instance, features exposed rebars.

Tanween by Tashkeel is also returning for this year’s Downtown Design. Since its inception in 2013, the programme has been pivotal in offering emerging designers a platform to share their work. Often, the works are on the cutting edge of trends and reimagine familiar cultural elements. Majid Al Bastaki, for instance, is presenting a cabinet and dresser that is made from reclaimed materials. The cabinet’s doors are painted in striking hues, and draw on the star designs often seen on the steel doors of old homes around the UAE.

One Third Studio, comprised of designers Amna bin Bishr, Duna Ajlan and Dania Ajlan, draws from the Emirati burqa to create a contemporary cabinet. “Our product is called Taleed, which means old and inherited,” Bin Bishr says. “Our idea started by using a locally sourced material. Palm tree fronds are being wasted a lot in our local farms in many different areas.”

The dresser was fashioned by a technique the trio dubbed "khous marquetry". Khous is the traditional weaving technique in the UAE that utilises palm leaves to make roofs and floor mats. Marquetry, meanwhile, applies patterns and designs in the form of a veneer.

The design of the burqa is evident in the face of the cabinet, as well as its colour. “Our grandmothers would usually wear the face covering,” Bin Bishr says. “When we greet them, or when we get close to them, the face covering would mark on our faces with the indigo powder. We came up with the idea of extracting it from the fabric to get this deep blue colour.”

Then there are designs that merge cultural elements such as Rimsha Kidwai’s Kashi. The stackable stool design draws from the claymaking traditions of the UAE and Pakistan, while also incorporating patterns found in Al Sadu weaves.

“My inspiration was to use a material that was common in two regions,” Kidwai says. “I used two colour hues and clay tile techniques, one coming from the UAE and the other from Pakistan. The techniques come together in a contemporary way in the design.”

Downtown Design is taking place at d3 until November 9