< PreviousTrending commercialinteriordesign.com March 2021 12 Art appreciation pre-COVID WE MEET AGAIN Art Dubai fl eshes out plans for its 2021 returnTrending 13 March 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com All CHANGE Major modifi cations have been announced for the 14th edition of Art Dubai. A stalwart of the emirate's cultural scene, Art Dubai has long been associated with Madinat Jumeirah, which it traditionally took over every spring to host galleries of emerging and established art, as well as installations and creative events. After pivoting to a digital happening for 2020 when COVID-19 rendered a physical fair impossible, Art Dubai has announced its return for 2021 with a raft of changes. For this year, it's all is set to take place in a purpose-built venue under the Gate Building at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The fair is to launch 12 days later than originally scheduled and run for two extra days, taking place from March 29 to April 3, 2021. Additionally, organisers have said that it might operate by appointment only, though a decision would be made closer to the opening. A total of 50 galleries from 31 countries are to take part across halls dedicated to contemporary, modern and emerging artists, know as bawwaba [gateway, in Arabic], with a focus on those from the Middle East and the Global South. This is a scaled back list from the 80- plus exhibitors announced in December 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to present ever-shifting challenges to the events industry and global travel. Exhibitors will also be able to join the fair remotely, though the Art Dubai team In-person events are the heart and soul of the industry says they remain "confi dent" in producing a physical edition of this year’s fair, adding: "A booking system through our new app will enable us to operate on an appointment-only basis or open as normal, a decision we can take closer to the fair, guided by the latest advice. "In view of the UAE having the second most advanced vaccination programme in the world, we are hopeful that by the end of March we will be operating in a more open environment. However, additional programming and collateral exhibitions outside the fair will be subject to conditions at that time and will be announced closer to the fair." To support the revenue streams of artists impacted by the reduction of revenue opportunities, for the fi rst time costs for participating galleries will be partly based on sales. Previously, showcasing at Art Dubai has generated much of UAE galleries' annual revenue. Art Dubai's artistic director, Pablo del Val, said: "In-person events are the heart and soul of the art world and ours is a sector that has – like so many others – been signifi cantly impacted by the events of the last 12 months. As we begin to navigate our way out of the pandemic, we feel a keen responsibility to do everything we possibly can to support the artists, galleries and many service providers who depend on a vibrant and dynamic global commercial art sector." Benedetta Ghione, executive director of the fair, adds: "Art Dubai was the fi rst international fair to cancel due to the pandemic and we are proud to be the fi rst back, bringing together a broad range of galleries that represent a large and varied global population." Art Dubai 2019 The Celebrating Bigfoot by Tomas DauksaIn the studio commercialinteriordesign.com March 2021 14 IN THE STUDIO WITH... Jo England, founder of Tribe Dubai Please introduce yourself... Hello my name is Jo England and I'm the founder of Tribe Dubai. Tribe is a niche, interior brand that specialises in sustainable materials that are ethically sourced and handmade. Our collections range from furniture and décor to rugs and lighting. We have a well-known retail store in The Courtyard and our customers are B2C and B2B. I'm Australian and been in UAE for eight years and previously lived in London and Kuala Lumpur for total 15 years. I transitioned into interiors after a long career in advertising and corporate branding as senior art director and stylist. Describe your studio to us... I have a beautiful light-fi lled loft design studio, only a minute drive from our store in Al Quoz. It is fi lled with our sustainable pieces that are so beautiful and naturally lifts the energy level of the space. With a showroom and workshop where our reclaimed wood is lovingly restored and crafted into furniture pieces and fi lled with rug and fabric samples. How has COVID-19 affected how you work? Since lockdown, work location has become more about convenience. My days are planned based on site visits and photo shoots so having the fl exibility to work from home is sometimes more effective; I can focus on projects and product design. I work on my laptop with a sketch pad, so a chair beside the pool is my preference while the weather is so incredibly perfect. Jo and the teamIn the studio 15 March 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com How does your day start? I touch base with my team, check in on projects and usually get styling on a photo shoot or an installation of a project. With the launch of our 15-day custom-made sofa collection, I also spend a lot of time on production and checking details for our customers. What are your current projects? The studio is a balance of designing new product for the store, working with trade on F&B, residential and design projects. A very exciting project at the moment is a beautiful outdoor living space on a remote island which will be a stunning gathering space for the family to spend quality time. I drive onto a boat to get to the location, which is fun. We are also absolutely loving working on a Bvulgari Penthouse project, which is a gorgeous mix of our custom sofas and decor. Tell us about the day's high and low High points of a day are usually seeing a creative process come to fruition. It can be an installation or unloading a container of new product and designs. This brings a lot of energy and excitement. Challenges at the moment are restrictions of the pandemic which are changing and shifting regularly as information unfolds. With an online store, free delivery and a dedicated support team, we have managed to keep going through this time. Where's your inspiration location? I take a lot of inspiration from my coastal home town of Byron Bay, Australia. It is so rich in natural beauty, is located between a mountain range and the ocean and the region is fi lled with inspiring artists that we also source from. What's on your desk and what are you listening to? On my desk is my laptop and a notepad and marker and a refi llable water bottle because I dislike plastic bottles immensely. My playlist is in keeping with our Tribe vibe, is a Café Del Mar mix or a good podcast on parenting or entrepreneurship. What do you love about your work space and what would you change? I love how it's light and airy, planned well and organised; our loft studio has a little back door and we can drop straight into our product storage and carpentry workshop, which is so important when curating these projects. We are an effi cient team and all communicate closely so it's great to have all our spaces close enough to touch base when need to. We have a large photography space that is also a canvas to play and we style up our new arrivals to shoots and get the shots straight up onto Instagram. Only thing I would change is move it beside the beach. When does your day end? I fi nd the days I work from home there is a blurred line between the day ending, it tends to be more of a balancing act to get everything done. It also depends if I'm planning orders and may be working till late because I'm talking to my artists in Morocco or up early to touch base with Australia or Indonesia. What's the last things you do before you leave work? Tidy my space, thank my amazing team, and put my mask on… Tribe creates decor and rugsOpinion commercialinteriordesign.com March 2021 16 and manufacturers. Being able to show physical products and present designs in person, rather than through a screen, makes a big difference when understanding the look and feel of our design schemes. Site visits During the lockdowns and curfews, site visits were virtually impossible and many design sites ground to a complete halt. With new COVID-19 safety measures across both workplaces and design sites now in place, projects have been able to start up again. As things progress on site, we are able to see our designs come to life. Being able to see this in person again not only allows us to assist with snagging and site work, but it also allows us to see our design visions come to life again. Changing how we design As we move to a new normal, client briefs like this. With 2021 now in full swing, the design industry is not completely out of the woods but with the roll out of a number of vaccines and the world learning to live with this new normal, there are still so many things that we should look forward to. Getting the band back together People are social creatures and needless to say the long restrictions and lockdowns have made it diffi cult both mentally and physically. As designers, we work best when we can share ideas between each other and interact with creative brainstorming. It's harder to do this remotely, so being back in the same room will allow a fl ow of this creative energy. Ditching online meetings (some of them) Let's face it, we've all had a call or two where we have struggled to focus. Face-to-face human interaction is key for relationships with both clients By Erin Slaviero, senior lighting designer at Nulty We know that 2020 was a year for the history books – an unexpected, chaotic year for everyone. With global lock downs coming almost overnight, companies had to adapt and change at short notice to keep afl oat. It was over this period that I read the book 'Factfulness' by Swedish public health expert Hans Rosling and collaborators Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Rönnlund. The authors present the idea that the majority of us have wrong perceptions about the state of the world, due to misinformation and old perspectives. In many ways, this prevents us from seeing the silent miracle of human progress. Reading this book came at a profound time and it is with this new perspective that I tried to understand how we could see things in differently in the new year. I refl ected on how advantageous it has been living in the GCC region at a time JA Lakeview hotel, another Nulty project Nulty's work at The Duck Hook in Dubai Hills Zoom out: A new perspective on 2021Opinion 17 March 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com NEW up to 80 kg SIMONSWERK GmbH (DMCC Branch) Unit No 2005, JBC-1 Building Cluster G, JLT, Dubai www.simonswerk.com Hinge system TECTUS® Glass – Product overview Handle Magnetic PlateClosing Magnet TECTUS® Glass Minimalist hardware components for glass doors SIM_Anz-2021_TectusTEG_UAE_halb_94x242+3_RZ.indd 110.02.21 15:02 About the author In 2017 Erin joined Nulty in London as a lighting designer, moving to Dubai in 2018. She has a wide variety of experience, working on projects across Australia, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. are also evolving. Social distancing, health and wellbeing are now being seen at the forefront of human interaction within architecture. This will inform and change how we as designers traditionally perceive and understand spaces. These new restrictions shouldn't scare us, rather we should see this as exciting and challenging and a new way to encourage us to push new boundaries. Adaptability of the Middle East COVID-19 has certainly provided challenges to bustling cities such as Dubai. A lot can be said for the swift action that was taken upon the outbreak of the pandemic, with some of the strictest lockdowns put in place early on. We have had enough mandates in place to allow the hospitality industry to open up again, and at Nulty this has meant that our recently completed projects JA Lake View Hotel and Dubai Hills Golf Club, have been able to reopen (albeit at limited capacity, at the time of writing). When it comes to business itself, there have been a number of signifi cant changes in regulations regarding business ownerships, allowing companies to have full ownership in areas outside of free zones. Whilst this has been something sitting in the background for the last few years, the evolution within business opportunity has come twofold since the full lockdown of one of the major hubs of the region. As designers, this should be something to get enthusiastic about. Women in design commercialinteriordesign.com March 2021 18 BREAKING THROUGH We speak to the women in the design industry who are making a differenceWomen in design 19 March 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com Progress with pain points is the cautiously optimistic takeaway from our survey of women in the design industry. We asked them to refl ect on their career journeys and look to the future, all through the lens of womanhood. What we see is largely a route of struggle to success. That's not to say their male counterparts had it easy. We recognise the sheer hard work and dedication required to become a professional in any industry. Men might feel their gender has never made their lives easier, but if it hasn't made it more diffi cult, then that's privilege. Every March 8, International Women's Day switches this status quo and celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. According to Data USA, the percentage of women awarded interior design degrees within the fi ve largest undergraduate programs in the country was 89.7 percent (in 2016). In contrast, speakers, panelists and award winners at industry events trend much more towards being male. A report by industry body the Design Council found the UK's design workforce is 78 percent male, 22 percent female. When looking at specifi c sectors only fi ve per cent of design workers in product and industrial design are women, while 83 percent of workers in architecture and built environment are male. In urban planning, cities have historically been planned and designed for men and by men. With women occupying just 10 percent of the highest-ranking jobs at the world's leading architecture fi rms, cities have historically been planned and designed to refl ect traditional gender roles and gendered division. While women in the UAE enjoy the same constitutional rights as men and there are national strategies for their empowerment, we wanted to hear the lived experiences of female powerhouses and opinion leaders from a variety of backgrounds and ages. Hearing their stories hopefully allows us to address the industry's perceived gender imbalance and take the actions of one signifi cant day forward for a better future, for men and women.Next >