Partner/
Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council/
Traditional Methods in Modern Design
This exhibition demonstrates the on-going effort to question and uncover ways of making and consuming within the domestic and built realms; highlighting the pivotal role various ingredients and craftsmanship methods have played within the Emirati topographical and constructed environments.
The traditional recipes for construction and food can be considered equally intuitive, yet an attempt to breakdown, document, and redesign such recipes whilst formulating them into the context of a space sheds light on our shared cultural heritage. Referencing a locus and its traditional methods of Excavation, Harvest, Preservation, and Craftsmanship – all in direct relation to Architecture and Design – is a continuing education on the true meaning of sustainability.
About Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council/
Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council engages with women artisans across the UAE, Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, Central Asia and South East Asia regions to empower them economically and socially through vocational training and upskilling programmes. In doing so, the Council has been ensuring the preservation of indigenous craft heritage.
A hub of global crafts collaborations, the Council ensures the modernization of traditional crafts, and creates new market opportunities for local craftswomen by partnering them with international designers and artists, merging Emirati crafts and artisanal techniques with cutting-edge design and innovation to produce Emirati crafted products reflective of the culture today.
A platform that preserves and protects the heritage and legacy of crafts, the Council ensures the documentation of tangible and intangible craft heritage and creates publications that serve as a reference to a culture that relies heavily on story telling. Its latest efforts have led to Sharjah’s recognition as a city of Crafts & Folk Art for the craft of Talli in 2019 by UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network.
About Sharjah, UAE/
Sharjah, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates and is also recognized as a city of Crafts & Folk Art for the craft of Talli in 2019 by UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network. From ancient archaeological sites that are thousands of years old, to cutting-edge contemporary art exhibitions, Sharjah not only champions authentic Arabian life, but also works hard to integrate it into its modern landscape. The many heritage sites, museums, art galleries, and preserved traditions collectively make this emirate a historical treasure.
#IrthiCouncil
