November 4, 2008
This first Khatt Design Collection of wall stickers reflects contemporary Middle Eastern design trends, bringing the Middle East home.
Approached by Mosaiques to collaborate on the creation of a unique collection of wall stickers with a resolute Middle Eastern flavor, the Khatt Foundation, spearheaded by Huda AbiFarès undertook the task of putting out an open call to its 1025-member network of designers. From around 150 entries, 19 were selected to be included in the Khatt Design Collection, and will be launched at the ‘Project Mulsaq’ exhibition at Traffic in Dubai.
This first Khatt Design Collection of wall stickers reflects contemporary Middle Eastern design trends, allowing designers form the region to express themselves about their own identity and culture. This simple design product has been turned into a vehicle for showing a ‘real’ and non-stereotypical image of the diverse and geographically widespread Middle Eastern/Arab culture.
The designs presented in this collection are distinct voices that explore the personal versus the historical/cultural heritage and national context of each designer. The work plays with the typical cultural symbols and myths but in untypical presentations, mixing the local with the global, the old with the new. This Khatt Design Collection of wall stickers is an impressive mix of traditional Arabic calligraphy and poetry, Islamic and Arabic vernacular symbols, humorous and thought provoking visual puns, all presented in a distinct contemporary form that shows the aesthetic diversity of visual language and graphic design from the Middle East.
Self-adhesive vinyl wall stickers have revolutionized contemporary European interior design. The Khatt Foundation in partnership with the Dubai based trend setting company, Mosaiques, have recently challenged the best visual artists from the Arab world to re-invent wall design with the Middle East in mind.
A jury of renowned Middle East design specialists such as Nadine Kanso, Nada Debbs and Rami Farook, selected the winning entries of the design competition in which more than 150 up and coming designers from across the region have taken part. This Khatt Design Collection of wall stickers is an impressive mix of traditional Arabic calligraphy and poetry, Islamic and Arabic vernacular symbols, humorous and thought provoking visual puns, all presented in a distinct contemporary form that shows the aesthetic diversity of visual language and graphic design from the Middle East.
The collection will be launched in its premier exhibition (curated by Huda Abi Fares and Mosaiques, and sponsored by the photography magazine Soura) at the avant garde Dubai based design gallery Traffic; opening on November 13th 2008. This promises to be an interactive reassessment of contemporary Middle East design and a showcase of what it means to communicate graphically, and a must see for all design addicts!
The limited edition collection will be available for sale in main major design outlets in the UAE – including Traffic and 50C - and on line www.diadiwan.com from December 2008 and can be seen this website.
Project Mulsaq exhibition will be on from November 13th to December 5th 2008 at Traffic Gallery, Dubai. For more information contact Pascale Balze (Mosaiques) or Huda Abi Fares.