In the lead up to Dubai’s participation in BJDW 2015’s Guest City programme, curator Moza Almatrooshi visited Beijing to meet with BJDW’s Creative Director, Beatrice Leanza and undertake a series of site-visits around the capital.

In the lead up to Dubai’s participation in BJDW 2015’s Guest City programme, curator Moza Almatrooshi visited Beijing to meet with BJDW’s Creative Director, Beatrice Leanza and undertake a series of site-visits around the capital.

They took Moza on a local’s tour of BJDW Design HOP Core Area, Dashilar Alley to explore the ongoing Dashilar Pilot projects, and visited new core hub, The Factory – the space which Dubai Design Week has been tasked to activate with the best of UAE design.

BJDW: What do you see as some of the central concerns of the design community in Dubai and the UAE more broadly?
MA:The design community in the UAE generally tries to contextualize culture and heritage within their work, and is increasingly reluctant to break away from that. I see that their concerns stem from the fear of neglecting a relatively new territory in design, and so most designers harness information about the UAE and represent it through their work. Dubai and the UAE have a series of cultural pockets that fell into various gaps in time, due to the modernity boom, designers tackle this by identifying these pockets, and use design as the tool to highlight them.

BJDW: Besides Dubai Design Week where would we go to experience the best of UAE design?
MA:
Besides Dubai Design Week the best way for me to experience design is to visit older areas in the UAE, such as the Heart of Sharjah, where some stores in the old souk sell craft objects, or I would go to heritage events that showcase the craft that is currently endangered due to the uninterested younger generations to preserve those crafts, some of which are talli weaving (strings used for traditional Emirati embroidery), building dhow boats, making homewares out of palm leaves, and so on. Other than that, I enjoy visiting a few concept stores around the UAE to view design objects that are regional and international.

BJDW: Can you introduce some local designers who are leading good design in the UAE context?
MA:
Khalid Shafar, Zeinab Al Hashemi, Khulood Bin Thani, Latifa Saeed, Salem Al Mansoori, and Aljoud Lootah are all examples of designers who are carrying through their personal interests as well as stories of the UAE within their various design mediums. Khalid Shafar specifically works with tales from the UAE, some of which he acquired from elder ladies who work in heritage crafts during heritage events in Dubai, and produces furniture that reference history and culture in the UAE. Zeinab Al Hashemi works with site specific installations around the UAE, which often push her to delve deep into her local context and showcase her research through her work.

BJDW: On your recent site-visit to Dashilar Alley, what were some of the parallels you noticed between Dubai and Beijing’s urban ecologies?
MA:
Dashilar Alley resembles a historical neighborhood in Dubai called Al Fahidi District very well; both are human centered and mimic the flow and movement of the people occupying their spaces, as well as use up the appropriate scale that is needed for people to function in. The courtyards and use of bamboo within architecture is another thread between them, as the courtyard is the focal element in UAE traditional houses, and the palm leaf was heavily utilized in architecture.

BJDW: What are you most looking forward to about participating in BJDW 2015’s Guest City program?
MA:
I’m looking forward to bridging the similarities between the Chinese and UAE cultures, as well as introduce the design talents that are visiting Beijing Design Week for the first time, and initiate dialogues between the two nations. By tapping into the parallels of architecture and culture there will be enough room to spark conversation and discussion around the history and development of the two cities of Beijing and Dubai during the exhibition.

Originally published on beijingdesignweek.org