Dubai Culture Highlights Islamic Design and Architecture at ‘Dubai Next’ Panel Discussion in London

Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts and heritage, has successfully concluded its multi-disciplinary panel discussion as part of its programme for the sixth edition of ‘Dubai Next’, which is running from 18th to 20th September in London in support of the 2017 UK/UAE Year of Creative Collaboration and as part of the 15th edition of the London Design Festival.

The panel discussion marked the launch of ‘Global Perspectives on the Islamic Creative Economy’ book and was hosted at The Design Museum in London on 18th September. It featured design experts who explored the new faces of Islamic design and architecture in the globalised world of the 21st century.

The panel discussion was attended by leaders of London’s design sector and led by specialists Ahmad Angawi, Associate Director of the Al Makmad Foundation; Salem Al-Qassemi, founder and Principal of Fikra and Assistant Professor of Design at American University of Sharjah.; Wael Al Awar, Founder Partner and principle architect of Ibda Design; and William Greenwood, Albukhary Foundation Curator of the Islamic World at the British Museum. The panel was moderated by Cyril Zammit, who recently joined Dubai Culture as an expert.  

Drawing on the findings of Dubai Culture’s new Islamic Culture and Art Economy book – ‘Global Perspectives on the Islamic Creative Economy’ – the speakers explored how Islamic design and architecture continues to evolve through the times and naturally becomes part of the contemporary society.  The discussion also included questions on ‘What truly defines Islamic Art’, ‘The need for multilingualism in art and design’, ‘Dubai as a hub for artistic experimentation and multiculturalism’, ‘Tools available for Arab designers’; in addition the panellists welcomed a number of challenging questions from the audience. With Islamic Art being the focus, various subjects were addressed such as Humanity and Civilisation, relationship with its environment, being a living tradition, celebrating diversity and being timeless but adapting to the 21st century.

‘Dubai Next’, the Authority’s international platform for showcasing the Emirate’s cultural and artistic scene abroad, offers a rich programme of panel discussions, workshops and talks around the launch of Dubai Culture’s new book. The book focuses on how to consolidate Dubai’s position as an international centre for the Islamic Culture and Art Economy in line with the vision established by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to establish Dubai as the global capital of the Islamic Economy.

By launching ongoing global cultural initiatives like ‘Dubai Next’, Dubai Culture aims to share Dubai’s cultural scene with the world and draw attention to the Emirate’s rich heritage throughout the year. The Authority’s mandate is to build bridges of constructive dialogue between different civilisations and cultures through enriching initiatives that benefit the Emirate’s citizens, residents and visitors.