Architects, designers, urbanists, curators, researchers, artists, geologists, biologists, chemists, and craft specialists across the MENASEA, have been invited to contribute to this publication.
Crafting connections and empowering women from its base in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council operates a pioneering Council of creative, cultural and commercial initiatives designed to empower women through craft.
Spanning the Middle East, North Africa and South-East and Central Asia,
Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council’s activities centre on the preservation and promotion of indigenous craft heritage, the engagement of young generations and the development of new international market opportunities.
As part of its mission to educate young practitioners on the cultural importance of Emirati heritage crafts, Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council aims to nurture and nourish creative connections between universities and students, co-curating curriculums and research fellowships rooted in the development of the region’s rich heritage.
Due to the cultural and sustainable significance of looking inwards and returning to the vernacular, Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council set out to curate an experimental research on the “Architecture of Culture” by delving into the context of UAE’s cultural heritage, for its Design Labs II initiative: in which
the first year focused on a research fellowship with the American University of Sharjah’s College of Architecture, Art and Design. Research assistants delved into a series of urban mappings of various environments in the UAE, uncovering indigenous material, local architecture methods, and local crafts, creating innovative recipes for construction that became in themselves a contemporary format of “craft”.
| Weight (kg) | 0.084 |
|---|---|
| Production Year | |
| Design Class | |
| Dimensions LxWxH | X22x10cm (0x4'') |
