Nuqat’s 2012 Design Conference, entitled “The Lost City of Arabesque” is set to debut this month for the first time in Dubai. After the success of 2010's conference in Kuwait, titled "Visual Pollution in the Arab World", the foundation decided to turn the conference into a traveling one.
The 2012 conference, in partnership with Dubai Culture, will attempt to "tackle the schism between heritage and crafts and the contemporary creative industries".
With time, past design concepts merge with more modern ones; the boundaries between old and new, classic and contemporary become blurry, and people forget exactly which came first. The speakers will discuss this idea in their lectures, while also describing to attendees how their work has helped in redefining the contemporary Arab identity.
The conference will span a total of 6 days, from March 17 – 22. The lectures will take place during the first three days; from March 17 – 19, and the next 3 days, March 20-22, will be designated to workshops. The lectures will take place at Dubai’s Financial Center (DIFC) and the workshops will take place at Tashkeel. To view the full schedule, click here.
Where 2010's conference took place over the course of 3 days, this year's event will be twice as long, catering to the demands of previous conference attendees who desired more workshops and the chance to attend a multitude of lectures.
This year's speakers include Rana Salam, Azza Fahmy, Tarek Atrissi, Salem Al Qassimi, Pascal Zoghbi, Dr. Nasser Abo Alhassan and many others. (Click here for the full list of speakers and their bios)
Nuqat has organized 11 different workshops for art and design enthusiasts. Covering various design fields including, but not limited to, typography, branding, product design, jewelry design. (Click here for the full list of workshops and their descriptions)
In the near future, Nuqat will organize lectures and workshops in other cities in the Middle East including Beirut and Jeddah.
Registration for Nuqat’s Dubai Design Conference 2012 is now open. To register, visit the Nuqat website.
For instant updates, follow Nuqat on Twitter and Facebook and find more details on their blog.
– Khaleejesque Staff
