MENASA -
Emirati Design Platform
MENASA is a platform for Emirati crafts and design at Expo 2020 Dubai, presented by the Design and Crafts Programme.
The collective approach of MENASA, which means ‘platform’ in Arabic, is inspired by the theme and spirit of Expo 2020 Dubai, ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’. By bringing together artisans and designers
from the UAE and around the world, MENASA is nurturing a rich cultural and creative dialogue, aiming to ignite a new perception of local crafts as a contemporary and living expression of Emirati cultural identity, locally and globally.
MENASA tells the stories of the UAE of today through exclusive curated design collections by over 40 local and international designers, displayed within a vibrant design and retail space at Al Wasl Plaza, at the heart of Expo 2020 Dubai.
It maps the diversity and breadth of the Emirati design scene, showcasing established and emerging designers, as well as the public and private organisations that support the local crafts and design community.
SADU STORY
10:1 Ratio is a capsule collection of rugs that merges traditional female and male-led weaving crafts with innovations in digital design, robotic production and sustainable materials, created for MENASA through a collaboration between Belgian artist Edouard Cabay, Middle Eastern innovation LAB for weaving art and design Iwan Maktabi LAB and House of Artisans at Qasr Al Hosn in Abu Dhabi.
Using innovative technology, two distinct digital patterns were generated. The first step in this complex and ambitious project was to collect digital data from men weaving traditional fishing nets and women practicing Sadu, a traditional form of Bedouin weaving. Sensors were attached to the weavers’ fingers and the digital information generated was translated into two distinct algorithms that precisely mimic their nimble hand movements.
Safeefa Story
The artisans who created the Tala collection for MENASA are from Al Ghadeer UAE Crafts, an organization that empowers women through Emirati handcrafts, providing them with both training and raw materials. They have applied the traditional techniques of Safeefa to craft a capsule collection of side tables inspired by the forms of the palm tree.
Two natural fibre collections have been created in parallel for MENASA, one designed by celebrated Brazilian designers the Campana brothers (Humberto and Fernando Campana) and crafted by artisans in the Philippines, and the other created by the artisans of Al Ghadeer UAE Crafts in Abu Dhabi. Both collections use traditional weaving techniques, natural fibres and dyes, and are inspired by the forms of native plants.
Safeefa is the traditional Emirati craft of weaving palm fronds, typically used to create amongst many items, baskets and floor mats.
ART FORMS IN NATURE
Michael Rice is a Dubai-based Irish artist and designer specialized in ceramics. His work is concerned with surface, texture, gestalt principles and archetypal forms, but his biggest influence is the indivisible complexity and simplicity of nature. He focuses his pottery practice on mimicking flora and fauna.
“If you ever look at an aerial photograph of a river delta, it is an incredible, complex tapestry of absolute chaos and order indivisibly. It is complete design and decay at the same time” - Michael Rice
The six new works that he presents at Menasa – Emirati Design Platform are inspired by his ongoing conceptual concerns and new techniques developed during the COVID-19 lockdown.
“In ceramics I’m constantly exploring the morphing of geology into geometry and trying to guide these thoughts more intuitively as I work”, says Michael Rice.
DIStilled design language
For Expo 2020 Dubai, they are presenting a series of stone plinths (such as Tranquility, Al Hosn or Asymptote, among others) that could be used as tables, seats or purely art pieces. Crafted out of solid stone and made with travertine and brass, the collection is the result of exploring the “distilled design language” of their work and it aspires to reminisce memories of Dubai and the wider region of the UAE.
Binchy and Binchy is an architecture and interior design firm, also working on product design. Design Director Jennie Binchy believes in an architecture that is of its time and of its place, and in creating buildings that are a delight for those who inhabit them and “that speak of the region, so they really feel rooted and grounded in locality and at the same time are molding contemporary buildings”.
Their work marries international expertise with cultural and contextual understanding. Never limited by size, scope or typology, Binchy and Binchy channels artistic concepts into simple, practical solutions.
Alia Bin Omair is an award-winning jewellery brand that blends art and design to create experimental, statement jewellery and creates bold, wild and highly curated pieces. Inspired by traditional crafts and with cultural surrounding taking center stage, Alia herself is interested in experimenting with different materials, textures and objects from the UAE seeking cutting-edge forms of presenting it.
Her design practice encourages a dialogue around the numerous substances found in the country that hold unique design potential and can replace other commonly used elements.
Emirati wild flora
The wild flora of the United Arab Emirates jewellery collection pays homage to the singular Emirati wild flora. It takes inspiration from four different plant species that one can find in coastal areas of the Arabian Gulf or in the Hajar Mountains and that are frequently used as powerful medicinal herbs. Now, the unique shapes of nature embellish authentic golden pieces.