Beirut-based designer Iyad Naja discusses his successes following an exhibition at o'de rose during the inaugural Dubai Design Week in October.
Creating a point in time that encourages the growth of the design industry in Dubai, Dubai Design Week not only established the city as the regional capital for design, but also as a global meeting point for the international design community. Design-dedicated events, activities and projects within d3 and across the city helped to celebrate the best in design both regionally and internationally.
Beirut-based creative Iyad Naja exhibited a series of stools at o’de rose, a local boutique offering clothing, accessories, décor and artworks, located in Al Wasl.
Iyad Naja
Iyad describes the inspiration behind mixing traditional motifs with modern material technologies. ‘The idea came from the city of Beirut. The city is a never-ending construction site of endless concrete buildings and old historical and monumental buildings. I love this juxtaposition. I’m always observing my surroundings and with that I receive my inspiration. It’s always clear in my mind how the form will be and which material I will use’, explains Iyad.
Iyad uncharacteristically conveys concrete and metal’s harmonious and organic qualities. A composition of Arabic calligraphy is sculpted into sinuous rings and interwoven into rounded concrete bases. Three metallic variations, gold black and rosegold, illustrate an abstracted and graphic interpretation of calligraphic forms, with spaces carved out from the metal sheet. These apertures pierce the skin of each stool, revealing multiple layers and characters, while allowing light to subtly pass through.
Iyad Naja
The Beirut-based creative describes his successes following the inaugural Dubai Design Week: ‘After my products launched at Dubai Design Week, there was a lot of buzz around taking my products to a bigger scale, adapting my designs to residential projects. In 2016, I’m taking up bigger projects on an interior-design scale. I’m also considering developing a line of accessories’.
Dubai Design Week returns for its second edition from 24-29 October to celebrate the best in design both regionally and internationally.