WOMEN IN DESIGN AT ALSERKAL AVENUE

Venus, Pink, Detail. Courtesy of Iwan Maktabi Lab
View Gallery 13 Photos
Venus, Pink, Detail. Courtesy of Iwan Maktabi Lab
SELECTIONS ARTS MAGAZINE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
WOMEN IN DESIGN AT ALSERKAL AVENUE
Venus Power, a sign of life, a Manifesto signed by Patricia Urquiola. Everyone, regardless of gender, carries with them a dimension of femininity. An energy to be embraced, listened to and accepted. Strong, powerful and joyful, the collection expresses a metaphor to make us think about the need to incorporate feminine attributes that coexist within all of us, “…if everyone – men and women – considered and embraced every aspect of themselves we could add more dimension and colour to the way we approach everyday life.” – Fabrizio Cantoni, CEO cc-tapis Black lines define the perimeter of floating shapes and identify the single letters that compose the phrase “We all come from Venus”. A mission statement that alludes to Graffiti Art, also applied in the collection’s hypnotic texture: a vortex of colour inspired by the intriguing atmosphere of Venus. Completely hand-knotted by Tibetan artisans, the decisive black lines of the design are hand-carved to gently rise in a soft and curved 3D form, which is repeated in the silhouette of the rugs, a tribute to feminine archetypes. The Venus Power collection is a group of 4 rugs: Weallcomefromvenus, Nuvola, Cirrus and Venus, all available in 3 different colour combinations: blue, pink and green. The Collection is presented as a project accompanied with a written essay by Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, editor and author.

Venus Power Collection, Designed by Patricia Urquiola

Source: Iwan Maktabi Lab
SELECTIONS ARTS MAGAZINE
WOMEN IN DESIGN AT ALSERKAL AVENUE
Visioni collection by Patricia Urquiola for cc-tapis, an unprecedented synthesis between an age-old technique and abstract graphics. The rugs have been produced solely by hand with colours and materials that testify to the desire to give value to ancient production techniques adding a contemporary breath to them.

Visioni Collection, Designed By Patricia Urquiola

Source: Photo: Jeremias Morandell, Art direction Motel 409, courtesy of Iwan Maktabi Lab
SELECTIONS ARTS MAGAZINE
WOMEN IN DESIGN AT ALSERKAL AVENUE
The Slinkie collection, a creative chapter that consolidates the collaboration between Patricia Urquiola and cc-tapis. A design story revolving around colour; a succession of chromatic evolutions developed in a composite universe of organic shapes. A digital drawing which allows every rug to display an evolution of the different wools -sometimes unexpectedly- placed side by side, outlining multiple chromatic associations. A visual exercise aimed to transform the intangible idea of shade and hue into a finely produced and sophisticated product.

Slinkie Collection, Designed By Patricia Urquiola

Source: Photo: Beppe Brancato, Styling Greta Cevenini. Courtesy of Iwan Maktabi Lab
SELECTIONS ARTS MAGAZINE
WOMEN IN DESIGN AT ALSERKAL AVENUE
Rotazioni plays on the repetition of overlapping cylindrical forms that emphasise the circle as the matrix of the design. A scale of pastel colours and chromatic contrasts insinuate the gradient on the surface of the cylinders creating a three dimensional effect. This enhances the volume and dynamic composition of the design: from this “Rotazioni” which translated means “Rotations” was born.

Rotazioni Collection, Designed By Patricia Urquiola

Source: Iwan Maktabi Lab
SELECTIONS ARTS MAGAZINE
WOMEN IN DESIGN AT ALSERKAL AVENUE
Fordite is a byproduct of the car manufacturing industry: a multicoloured stratum of enamel automotive paint that has built up over time within the factory, which is then baked and polished until it resembles a jewel. Inspired by this material, Patricia Urquiola has integrated a similar approach to sustainability in the creation of these rugs. The Himalayan wool, pure silk and aloe used was sourced from the material excess left over from cc-tapis’s regular production process. The rugs maintain the same layered appearance as Fordite, recreated with recycled wool.

Fordite Collection, Designed By Patricia Urquiola

Source: Iwan Maktabi Lab
SELECTIONS ARTS MAGAZINE
WOMEN IN DESIGN AT ALSERKAL AVENUE
A captivating composition of colour and pattern comes alive in Patricia Urquiola’s latest collection for cc-tapis, Patcha. Utilising the patch-work spontaneity of mixedmedia collage, Urquiola expresses the gesture of overlapping and assembles strips of mint green, lavender, taupe, burgundy and speckled technicolour fields. Layering one atop another to create inventive graphic compositions. “I tried to emphasise the concept of spontaneity,” she says of the process. A myriad of textures, pile heights and colours meet in each rug, utilising sustainable dyeing techniques which use less water and novel materials like castoff silk from Indian Sari production. Central to Urquiola’s creative process is the investigation of reused and upcycled materials, breathing new life into once discarded wool. The speckled technicolour fields are created by using left-over silk and surplus wool taken from the production from previous rugs. The result is a combination of woolen fragments that resemble jagged papers and colourful cardboard, assembled in an extemporised composition.

Patcha Collection, Designed By Patricia Urquiola

Source: Iwan Maktabi Lab
SELECTIONS ARTS MAGAZINE
WOMEN IN DESIGN AT ALSERKAL AVENUE
Inspiration for this project came from a sample that Mae Engelgeer created, shaping round curves and trying to create a 3D effect. After a period of using straight graphic lines, and feeling almost captured by it, she felt the need to use bold shapes again. Keeping the playfulness of the Memphis movement in mind and experimenting with shape and colour was the start of the BLISS collection. Mixing elements like pattern and form with different production techniques giving life to the rugs. Using high quality materials like Himalayan wool with pure silk makes some parts literally glow.

Bliss Collection, Designed By Mae Engelgeer

Source: Iwan Maktabi Lab
SELECTIONS ARTS MAGAZINE
WOMEN IN DESIGN AT ALSERKAL AVENUE
Mae Engelgeer’s Mindscape collection investigates gesture in the digital realm, exploring spatial and architectural gestures. Engelgeer creates patterns from complex compositions, mirroring, splicing and replicating to achieve her otherworldly designs, taking the viewer on a journey to another space. “With the echo of Bliss in mind I wanted to underline my signature of creating poetic and atmospheric designs into a new series of rugs, taking the aesthetics to another level,” she describes of her inspiration. In Mindscape, Engelgeer ventures into an alternate universe, revealing a scenography of extraordinary pastel colour combinations. Rendered in wool, silk and linen, the contrasting materials provide textural variations that mirror the design. Different techniques are used to create depth and space to reveal a calm and synergetic dreamscape.

Mindscape Collection, Designed By Mae Engelgeer

Source: Iwan Maktabi Lab
SELECTIONS ARTS MAGAZINE
WOMEN IN DESIGN AT ALSERKAL AVENUE
Doodles Collection, Designed By Faye Toogood “Doodles”, a collection which encapsulates Faye Toogood’s inimitable playfulness. Equally joyful in name and narrative, the overarching aesthetic of the collection is painterly, abstract and free-thinking as they respond to Toogood’s preoccupation through her work to ‘tinker’ and intuitively explore new styles without boundaries. The Doodles collection draws on these tinkering techniques through the employment of off-cuts and appliquéd cords to create collage styled assemblages. As such, the pieces feature graphic stitching detail that form curious patterns connecting the playful cut-out shapes. Though the rugs are independently idiosyncratic – they connect through an overarching style of ready-made collage and handmade materiality. The collection comprises 40 individually dyed colours to guarantee the soft and subtle shading achieved. A distinctive texture has also been produced through a unique combination of thick and fine yarn, while the pile of the rug is hand-cut, creating differing heights and textures, from smooth to shaggy pile.

Doodles Collection, Designed By Faye Toogood

Source: Iwan Maktabi Lab
SELECTIONS ARTS MAGAZINE
WOMEN IN DESIGN AT ALSERKAL AVENUE
Artist and jewelry designer Nadine Kanso is immersed in Arabic culture in all its forms, mainly calligraphy and pop-culture idioms. One facet is “The Evil Eye” - which is a legend believed to be cast by a malevolent glare usually given to a person when they are unaware. Therefore it was only natural for Nadine Kanso to tap into its beauty and myth. Kanso hand-drew and recreated a bespoke “Eye” which guards against this maleficent spell. It was turned into a signature piece and a recognisable one for her brand Bil Arabi “Contrast” being a favored language in Kanso’s creations, she decided to bring the old and the new together and have them meet on a bespoke carpet by Iwan Maktabi “All Eyes” pays homage to the region’s heritage. It sources inspiration from the collective memory and the identity of Arabs . The piece is a powerful “antique” reproduction that meets modern tastes while adding a striking touch.

All Eyes Collection, Designed By Nadine Kanso

Source: Iwan Maktabi Lab
SELECTIONS ARTS MAGAZINE
WOMEN IN DESIGN AT ALSERKAL AVENUE
The Avino Collection by Cristina Celestino, a unique capsule collection which was originally designed for the Palazzo Avino Hotel on the Amalfi Coast. A collection inspired by the natural elements of the iconic coastline: it’s colours, textures, classicism and inherent beauty. Originally Celestino designed rugs for the suites of the historic hotel and now in 2021 Celestino has adapted the designs for a collection which is available in the cc-tapis catalogue. The beautiful organic designs are created from linen, Himalayan wool and pure silk.

Avino Collection, Designed By Cristina Celestino

Source: Photo by Marina-Denisova @ marinadenisova. Courtesy of Iwan Maktabi Lab
SELECTIONS ARTS MAGAZINE
WOMEN IN DESIGN AT ALSERKAL AVENUE
Born from the collaboration between Maison Matisse and Cristina Celestino, Paysage collection is an exclusive collection of hand-knotted rugs which are part of Maison Matisse’s larger family of highly curated furniture and home accessories: “Intérieur aux Aubergines” inspired by Matisse’s 1911 masterpiece by the same name, designed entirely by Cristina Celestino. Available in different colours and formats, the Paysage rugs create a warm and welcoming atmosphere, where outdoor motifs and symbols are brought inside. The collection is the perfect balance between geometric elements and colour, synthesising and evoking the freshness of Henri Matisse’s work.

Paysage Collection, Designed By Cristina Celestino

Source: Iwan Maktabi Lab
SELECTIONS ARTS MAGAZINE
WOMEN IN DESIGN AT ALSERKAL AVENUE
A series of rugs inspired by the collision of the man-made with nature. Each based on a different rock form, whose surface patterns are created through the organic build-up of sediment through time and a combination of materials under pressure. In these rugs each layer or facet is represented by a variety of beautiful rug-making techniques which have been developed over centuries by Tibetan artisans. Bethan Laura Wood uses the rock as a reference to explore the post instagram and ‘snap chat world, where the fleeting two-dimensional image, collide with a physical and tactile reality, the hyper-, and super-, fake spill into our daily lives. Rocks and crystals have always symbolised a very physical reality of nature; when something is ‘set in stone’ it is a mark of permanence. With this series, Bethan hopes to create rugs that connect and hold permanence in our fast-paced world, by imagining a visual landscape that allows us, though its detail and dynamism, to lose ourselves and dream.

Super Fake Collection, Designed By Bethan Laura Wood

Source: Super Fake Collection, Designed By Bethan Laura Wood

On occasion of Downtown Design Dubai, Iwan Maktabi’s Research and Experimentation platform “Iwan Maktabi Lab” is taking over warehouse 32 at Alserkal Avenue with a series of exhibitions and cultural events.

Throughout the month of November, the Iwan Maktabi Lab will honour women in design. “Women in Design” is an exhibition showcasing an array of cc-tapis collections honouring avant-garde designers, an exhibition which puts to the forefront the research and ideas which are shaping the world of interiors. Designers who question traditional craftsmanship, and cultural production techniques, merging them with contemporary ideas. Explore the collections in the above gallery.

Patricia Urquiola, Mae Engelgeer, Faye Toogood, Sabine Marcelis, Cristina Celestino, and Bethan Laura Wood’s latest works designed for cc-tapis are on display.

Collections such as Paysage, Stroke, and Patcha as exhibited in Milan Design Week are be displayed for the first time in the Middle East, allowing guests from all over the world to see, touch, and experience each piece.

Paysage Collection, Designed By Cristina Celestino. Courtesy of Iwan Maktabi Lab
Paysage Collection, Designed By Cristina Celestino. Courtesy of Iwan Maktabi Lab

The exhibition is on view until the 30th of November.

The info is extracted from the press release.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

 

SELECTIONS is a platform for the arts, focusing on the Arab World.

Selections editorial presents a quarterly print magazine and weekly online publication with high quality content on all subjects related to Art and Culture. Full of world-leading artworks, exquisite brand imagery, original creative illustrations and insightful written articles.
Selections Viewing Rooms presents carefully curated online art shows aiming not only to shed light on contemporary art executed by living artists, but also for viewers to buy contemporary fine art, prints & multiples, photography, street art and collectibles.
Discover the previous and current shows here.
Cultural Narratives foundation is an extensive collection that is travelling the world by leading established and emerging talents aiming to reflect the culture of the region in their works.