For Katrin Greiling, a furniture designer, architect and photographer living in Dubai, functionality and simplicity have always been part of her ethos. So it is little surprise that she gets the most out of her 2008 black Jeep Wrangler by exploring the UAE for inspiration. The Wrangler design has hardly changed since it took over the mantle from the Jeep CJ in 1987. With the CJ tracing its heritage back to the Willys military Jeep in the Second World War, its working past was a major selling point for 32-year-old Greiling, who originates from Munich, Germany, but spent 10 years in Sweden.
"My Jeep needs to be dirty and it needs to be taken off road," she says. "I am a practical person who takes photos out in the desert, so it is important that the car is functional as well as exciting. I am from the form of full functionality. It does not need to be decorative or have too many buttons. "I use my car as an additional tool, like a tripod. I like to get out on the roof for a vantage point for my photography. Above all, it is good for exploring the UAE's culture and geography."
Greiling has made the most of off-roading around the Emirates and, as a regular visitor to the Empty Quarter, she has captured its serene beauty through the lens. But it was on a shoot a little closer to the tarmac where she has had her only embarrassing mishap to date. "I have only been stuck once before," she says. "I was only on the side of Emirates Road taking pictures of billboards. It was a stupid drive and I could not get out. I had to call a friend's husband, who drives a bigger Jeep, to rescue me."
Arriving from Sweden in 2008 after learning her craft of furniture design, Greiling was never sure how long she was planning to stay in the UAE. However, by the eighth week her mind was made up thanks to her purchase of the Wrangler. "I did not even have an apartment and I was living [in a flat] only temporarily," Greiling recalls. "I was not committed, so to actually buy a brand new car was quite intuitive.
"It was the best thing I could have done. It has opened up a lot of freedom for me and has become a necessity for my lifestyle. I have even gone as far as sleeping on the roof while out taking photographs." Greiling was always in the market for an off-road vehicle, saying that, although she likes sports cars such as Porsches, she would only drive them elsewhere. The Jeep was up against some tough competition from the Land Rover and the Mercedes G-Class. Eventually she let her designer's instinct take over.
"I like the design of the Jeep. It is not too rounded and was appealing. It is not too big, but it is higher. I would not want to drive a small car here." Indeed, back home in Sweden, she was fond of the simplistic yet iconic design of its famous car manufacturer. "I drove a Volvo, of course," she grins. "It was a family estate car, a 700 series. I liked the designs of Volvo in the 1980s with their square designs rather than their rounder, modern ones."
While being involved in furniture design in Dubai, which has seen her showcase her talents at the Milan furniture fair in April, Greiling is keen to see what happens with the future of how cars will look in the future. "New car design is very interesting. With new technologies and materials available to designers, they can play with everything. It will only help cars become more energy efficient and, with electric cars becoming more readily available, they can be creative."
However, Greiling maintains her philosophy that car design should refrain from being too radical. "I can see the industry staying quite conservative for now. It is important that people can recognise what the designers are doing. "Take the concept that a car can be built out of Lego. I would like to see people have the ability to transform their car to how it suits them. It is what I have done with my Jeep. I like nothing more than to take the roof off to get the best views for my photography."
motoring@thenational.ae
