We are pleased to be launching the call for entries for the 12th edition of the Tanween design programme. Each year, practitioners are selected to embark on a journey of experimentation and learning that includes the development of products, from concept to completion, that contribute towards defining a UAE design aesthetic. The final products become part of the Tanween Collection and are revealed to the world at Dubai Design Week. Tashkeel then continues its support by providing funding, marketing and sales resources for a limited-edition product line, enabling each designer to gain entry into the market.
The programme supports designers in design enquiry, material research and experimentation as well as exploring the process and development of prototypes. It draws on a wide range of resources unique to the UAE, from locally based manufacturers, fabricators and artisans to myriad materials including textiles, wood and marble. Through a series of LABs and supporting working sessions, participants engage in group, pair and individual work, experimental practice, collaborative practice, constructive critical feedback, investigation of new business models, reflection and evaluation.
Tanween design programme is led by contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce (UK) and local mentor Kevin Badni with contributions from UAE-based and international design professionals such as Gareth Neal (UK), Salem Al-Qassimi (UAE) and Studio MUJU (UAE).
Deadline for submissions is 10pm, 17 November 2024. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for interview.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?
The call is open to all designers, artists, engineers and scientists living and working in the UAE who:
• Are over the age of 21 as of March 2024.
• Work in any design discipline.
• Currently reside in the UAE.
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Mentors
Kevin S. Badni is the Head of the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises, Zayed University. Previously, he was the Head of Art and Design at the American University of Sharjah. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Product Design from Loughborough University and his Master’s in Multimedia Design from De Montfort University in the UK. Before becoming an academic, Badni spent ten years as a professional designer working in the design industry, including managing the UK’s first commercial Virtual Reality centre. His main research area of interest is the personal perceptions of vision; he has had his art exhibited in galleries in the UK, Australia, America, Colombia, Italy and the UAE.
Helen Voce is a supporter of creative people and creative industries. As an independent project manager, event and programme producer in the creative industries she works locally, nationally, internationally and voluntarily from her base in Scotland. She designs, facilitates and produces opportunities, initiatives and spaces in which creative practitioners, microbusinesses and projects can realise their full artistic and business potential. Her professional specialism and personal interest is contemporary craft and design. Amongst other things, Voce is Regions Coordinator at Make Works, Co-Producer of Applied Arts Scotland’s Digital Craft Toolkit for the British Council {Thailand} and a Board Member of Fife Contemporary. Previous roles include business development programme / workshop facilitator and mentor at Emergents, Open Project Fund Assessor at Creative Scotland, Mentor on the British Crafts Council’s Hothouse development programme for emerging makers and Crafts Programme Producer at Cove Park, Scotland’s international artists’ residency centre. A postgraduate of the Royal College of Art / Victoria & Albert Museum’s MA in the History of Design and Material Cultural, 1650 to the present, Voce has previously worked for Cultural Enterprise Office, the British Crafts Council and the Victoria & Albert Museum.
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