d3 supports Emirati talent at London's largest festival of contemporary Arab culture

Emirati designer Khalid Shafar presents his iconic public installation at Shubbak

13 July 2015: As part of its commitment to bring emerging and established Arab creative talent to a new global audience, Dubai Design District (d3) will be supporting Khalid Shafar, one of UAE’s most influential designers, at the UK’s largest biennial festival of contemporary Arab culture – Shubbak.

The festival, which takes place between July 11th and 26th, has become a key fixture in the UK’s arts calendar, since its foundation by the Mayor of London. It is now considered one of the pre-eminent international platforms to expose a largely new audience to Arab creative talent, culture and design.

One of the most anticipated installations at this year’s event is an iconic design by the popular Emirati object and furniture designer, Khalid Shafar. Khalid will present his interactive public installation called The Nomad, which is a contemporary architectural reinterpretation of the Arish – a traditional Gulf house made from palm trees and fronds.

The Nomad, which functions both as a social space and a sculptural installation, was initially born out of Khalid’s public seating design for d3’s growing creative community in Dubai, UAE. Once it has been featured in the surroundings of the Rootstein Hopkins Parade Group at Chelsea College, it will be installed at d3, where it is hoped it will inspire other emerging talent, as well as visitors to the region’s premier destination for design.

Lindsay Miller, Managing Director at d3, commented: “Our primary objective is to inspire, engage and enable the Arab region’s design community so that the substantial creative talent in this part of the world can reach its full artistic potential and gain exposure on a global scale.

“Collaborations and co-creations are at the heart of what we do at d3, so we are delighted to have partnered with London’s popular Shubbak Festival, which will showcase fantastic installations such as The Nomad. The festival also provides the d3 team with an opportunity to acquire new insight and expertise on global design trends that may support the successful development of our own creative community.

“We wish The Nomad by Khalid Shafar the very best of luck at Shubbak and we are looking forward to further strengthening our collaborations with other driven, passionate and gifted home-grown designers in the future.”

Emirati designer, Khalid Shafar, added: “I have exhibited in most major European cities but with my own product designs. This is my first international platform for an interactive design – my first public space installation. It’s very prestigious to have the premiere of The Nomad in a city like London and in a relevant context such as the Shubbak Festival. It is one of their key projects and they have secured a great location for its presentation. This achievement wouldn't have been made without the generous support of Dubai Design District, d3, and Abu Dhabi Festival, to whom I am very grateful. Thank you.”