Iris Ceramica Group, world leader in the design of innovative solutions and of unique ceramic materials, is promoting the international contest “Local Cultures in Global Settings”, curated by UAE Modern, fostering knowledge of a multitude of unique roots and identities, with Dubai as a symbolic place of global discourse. Dubai is not only a thematic focus but also the final destination of the international contest, for which the winners will be announced during the Dubai Design Week.
How does multiculturalism influence the context and how, in turn, are individual cultural identities influenced by the context? Can design generate new meanings, separating the threads that once wove individual cultures and reassembling them in a process incorporating needs, knowledge and new technologies? These are questions that inspired the contest.
Dubai is at the center of the contest. In this context, over two hundred communities contribute to forging a new globalized identity, a place that is a symbol par excellence of a global setting that challenges the stereotype of a city without context. With a melting pot of over 200 nationalities that have settled in the territory –an inclusive ecosystem of innovation celebrated at the Expo– it offers opportunities for promoting a discourse that emphasizes the common roots of a multi-faceted universe.
Roberto Burle Marx was chosen as a reference figure for his ability to abstract local cultural values, drawing inspiration into memorable images. In the modern context, the aim of the project is to save that which is most dear to us: our roots and the ties with the world we have inherited and that we would like to hand on to the generations to come.
The participants in the “Local Cultures in Global Settings” International Contest are invited to design a work consisting of a geometric or figurative pattern using the natural ceramic surfaces of Iris Ceramica Group. The artwork will be created using the Group’s patented “Design Your Slabs” printing solution used to create any image or illustration on its surfaces. Supporting the initiative are also Iris Ceramica Group’s local partners in the UAE.
The submitted design proposals may be of two types: for interiors, and architectural envelopes. The Contest, with free participation, is open to all architecture, art and design professionals who have graduated since 2013. The deadline for submission of the designs is 31 July 2023. Register here.