British Collectables at Design Days Dubai
The UK-UAE Year of Creative Collaboration comes alive at Design Days Dubai, from March 14 to 17, with the Crafts Council and Britain Takes Shape exhibitions.
The United Kingdom will feature prominently at Design Days Dubai, the annual festival that has celebrated collectable design since 2012. Now in its sixth edition, over 125 designers from 39 countries will show over 350 works represented by 50 exhibitors. Headlining the programme of pioneering premiers and special projects is Britain Takes Shape curated by Suzanne Trocmé.
“Spirited and gifted, the creators of the pieces collated for Britain Takes Shape, whether British by birth or by adoption and choice, are all pioneers in very different ways, some invigorating old industries, others pushing processes in the name of advancement,” says Wallpaper editor-at-large Trocmé who has curated 10 designers to show limited-edition work. The initiative is supported by the UK-UAE Year of Creative Collaboration, the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, and the Emirate’s dedicated authority for Arts, Culture and Heritage.
“All pieces show individuality and the mark of the hand, whether in the design process or in physical construction,” she underscores her selection of Vezzini & Chen, Bethan Gray, Brodie Neill, Frederikson Stallard, Kim Thorne, Philip Michael Wolfson, Richard Woods and Sebastian Wrong, Silo Studio, Amy J Hughes and Max Lamb. “Britain Takes Shape offers a thoughtful journey into the minds of creators who are not afraid to push boundaries.” The designers will also present workshops and talks during the festival.
The Crafts Council will return to Design Days Dubai for its fifth year. Selected for their use of experimental materials and techniques, exhibitors include Nadia-Anne Ricketts’s BeatWoven audio technology coded textiles, Shauna Richardson’s, Crochetdermy life-size animal sculptures, and Umut Yamac who brings architectural mechanics to craft.