Design Elements, 4 Nov 2009
DISTINCTIVE CONTEMPORARY DESIGN TO BE FEATURED AT ABU DHABI ART
Regional and International Designers to Engage the Public Through Open Studio Sessions, Workshops, Performances and More
ABU DHABI, UAE, 4 November, 2009 – Visitors to Abu Dhabi Art, the innovative new platform for modern and contemporary art being held in the UAE capital from 19 to 22 November, will have the opportunity to interact with cutting-edge designers and experience their live work in specially constructed performance studios and interactive workshops. The public will be able to view the movable workspace that a Saudi designer created in his van for his road trip to Abu Dhabi (and see the videos and documents he gathered along the way), watch special events, such as an evening of sand casting on the beach, and even try their own hands at design, in workshops run by leaders in the field. These and other exciting live programmes are all part of a special section on contemporary design, in which outstanding designers from the Middle East and Europe will give audiences a personal glimpse into their ideas and methods.
Abu Dhabi Art will in fact bring together two main design events, in keeping with its character as a new crossroads of global routes in culture and trade. Design Moment will be the first public atelier for emerging Middle Eastern designers, and Design Workshop will provide a series of showcases for exceptional European designers.
Both events will take place in a special area of Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace designed by Rami Farook, founder of the multidisciplinary, UAE-based design practice Traffic. The space will incorporate distinct areas for Design Moment, Design Workshop and an installation by Abu Dhabi Art sponsor Audi of the aluminum Audi Space Frame, a sculptural interpretation of a basic element in automotive design.
Conceived as an integral part of Abu Dhabi’s long-term cultural vision, Abu Dhabi Art is organised exclusively by Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) and Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage (ADACH), government entities charged with preserving the Emirate’s heritage and fostering its people’s creativity and engagement with the arts.
Design Moment: Reimagining Local Traditions in the Middle East
Design Moment will take place every day of Abu Dhabi Art, 19-22 November, from 4 pm to 10 pm. Highlighting distinct areas of contemporary design production, the presentations will feature product designer Ahmad Angawi (Saudi Arabia), who will undertake the design road trip in his van as part of his contribution; the partners in the interior design studio Bokja, Huda Baroudi and Maria Hibri (Lebanon), who will present a unique sofa assembled from a composite of around 40 distinct fabrics from different parts of the world; furniture and product designer Younes Duret (Morocco), who mixes customs, colors and objects in his Moroccan pouf chair and Zelli bookshelf; product designer Nedda El Asmar (Palestine, based in Belgium), who will offer a multimedia presentation of past work while showing the process of design of new pieces, from sketches through computer models to finished prototype; and graphic designer Reem Al Ghaith (UAE), who will create a space inspired by traditional designs found on doors and entrances in the region. Working within studios that will be open to the public to encourage dialogue, interaction and even participation, these designers will create new forms of traditional, “made in the Middle East” designs, using local techniques and materials.
Design Workshop: Exploring Techniques in Contemporary Design
Design Workshop will take place on three successive days, 20-22 November, from 10 am to 6 pm. On 20 November, UK-based designer Sevil Peach will demonstrate how a traditional string bag may be transformed through clustering and repetition into an installation exploring space and volume. On 21 November, UK-based designer Max Lamb will hold a day-long workshop in casting small objects in pewter. On 22 November, Netherlands-based designer Maarten Baas will invite participants to join him in creating objects through improvisation, using the simple materials of cardboard and tape. In addition to these presentations, Max Lamb will give a sand casting performance on the beach on 21 November at 6 pm; and Maarten Baas will give a performance titled Analog digital, 19-22 November from 4 pm to 10 pm, in which he creates an analog/digital clock in real time. On 22 November, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm, Middle Eastern and European designers will join in a panel discussion moderated by Deyan Sudjic, director of the Design Museum in London.
Participant Profiles
Profiles of all participants in the design section of Abu Dhabi Art are available upon request.
About Abu Dhabi Art
Abu Dhabi Art is a major new annual platform in modern and contemporary art, with an introduction to design, organised exclusively by the government of Abu Dhabi and taking place in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. Conceived as a new, boutique-style art fair, it brings together an exclusive selection of leading art dealers and innovative new galleries from the four corners of the world and surrounds them with an exceptionally rich schedule of special exhibitions, public programmes and cultural events. As an integral part of the Emirate’s long-term agenda for transforming the capital, an ancient and modern crossroads of culture and trade, into a global city of the 21st century, Abu Dhabi Art will welcome collectors, artists, designers, art dealers, curators, critics and art lovers from around the world. Abu Dhabi Art will be presented for the first time from 19 to 22 November 2009, as institutions including the Zayed National Museum, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum and the Louvre Abu Dhabi rise on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island and build their world-class collections.
Abu Dhabi Art is honoured to have the enthusiastic support of HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd as Principal Sponsor. Organizers also thank Associate Sponsors Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and Audi Middle East, Official Cargo Carrier Etihad Crystal Cargo, Host Sponsor Emirates Palace, and Official Provider Abu Dhabi National Hotels, Apple and Sunraysia Five Star. Media Partners include CNN International, Abu Dhabi Media Company (The National), Bidoun, Canvas, The Art Newspaper, ArtNexus, and TimeOut Abu Dhabi.
Information on Abu Dhabi Art is updated frequently, as the opening of the inaugural edition approaches. For full current details and the latest updates, please visit www.abudhabiartfair.ae.
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About Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC)
Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) is a master developer of key cultural, residential and tourism destinations in Abu Dhabi. The principal goal of its cultural programme, up to and including the creation of the Saadiyat Island Cultural District – the world’s largest single concentration of premier cultural institutions – is to establish an international platform in the UAE for arts and culture.
Unprecedented in scale and scope, the Saadiyat Island Cultural District will include museums such as the Zayed National Museum, the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum, all due for completion in 2012/2013. Education is essential to fulfilling TDIC’s mission, and this initiative provides opportunities for the local and regional community to participate in programming of the highest quality and to be engaged in the city’s urban, cultural and artistic development, while enabling Emiratis and UAE residents to develop professional skills and knowledge through a dialogue with representatives from the world’s leading cultural organizations.
Alongside the Cultural District project, TDIC presents a diversified programme of art exhibitions, events and talks aimed at all levels to further engage audiences in the arts.
For more information visit www.artsabudhabi.ae; www.tdic.ae.
About Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH)
Established in 2005 as the cultural authority of the Government of Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) has far-sighted aspirations to harness the pride of the people of the UAE through the development of its cultural heritage and to be the leading cultural development organization in the region. ADACH is committing its resources to the preservation of heritage as well as to the development of Emirati, regional and international arts, music, literature, and cinema. This vision is open to everyone in the Middle East, the Arab world and beyond. Through its major initiative entitled the “ADACH Platform for the Visual Arts,” the Authority will bring together important contributions from contemporary artists from the Gulf and from throughout the Arab world. It will also present a futuristic vision of Abu Dhabi as a place where living traditions and contemporary culture come together in a new dynamic space. ADACH has already lined up a number of structures and initiatives to fulfill its strategic objectives in fields including green building design, museum development, excellence in curatorial and museum studies, cultural infrastructure development, film industry, translation and publishing, among others. Abu Dhabi Art, organised in partnership with TDIC, serves the objectives of this strategy.
For more information on ADACH, news and initiatives please visit www.adach.ae.
About HSBC’s Cultural Exchange Programme
As the world’s local bank HSBC aims to encourage and promote the understanding of different cultures across the world through its Cultural Exchange programme. As an international financial services provider, HSBC has to operate across different cultures and knows firsthand how important it is to appreciate and understand the different points of views and values of both its employees and clients, in order to build successful working relationships. HSBC therefore believes that Cultural Exchange can generate important business benefits. HSBC embraces Cultural Exchange in its widest sense; from fine art to cuisine, from language and literature to dance, street arts and all forms of music. www.hsbc.com/culturalexchange
HSBC Bank Middle East Limited (HSBC)
HSBC is the largest and most widely represented international bank in the Middle East. HSBC Bank Middle East Limited has 45 branches throughout the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan and the Palestinian Autonomous Area. In addition to the branch network the Bank maintains representative offices in Tehran, Iran and Tripoli, Libya. This extensive regional coverage is strengthened by another member of the HSBC Group, HSBC Bank Egypt SAE; and by its associated companies; The Saudi British Bank; British Arab Commercial Bank Limited; HSBC Saudi Arabia Limited; SABB Securities Limited; SABB Takaful Co.; and Dar Es Saalam Investment Bank.
Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA)
Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) was established in September 2004.It has wide ranging responsibilities for building and developing the emirate´s tourism industry. These include; destination marketing; infrastructure and product development and regulation and classification. A key role is to create synergy in the international promotion of Abu Dhabi through close co-ordination with the emirate´s hotels, destination management companies, airlines and other public and private sector travel-related organizations.
Audi
Audi is a car manufacturer rich in tradition. The company was founded 100 years ago by August Horch in Zwickau on July 16, 1909; he named it Audi after the Latin translation of his surname (“hark!”). The four rings symbolise the fusion of Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer in 1932. Today AUDI AG employs 58,000 people worldwide, including 46,500 in Germany, and delivered 1,003,469 cars to customers in 2008. The brand with the four rings invests around €2 billion each year in order to sustain the company’s technological lead embodied in its “Vorsprung durch Technik” slogan. Audi plans to significantly increase the number of models in its portfolio by 2015 to 42. AUDI AG’s commitment to the Middle East region was confirmed through the foundation of its fully owned subsidiary in 2005: Audi Middle East.
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