Autumn awakening: Tashkeel

The Autumn/Winter season at Tashkeel has been announced. Featuring a range of activities at its centre in Nad Al Sheba as well as at Emirates Towers and Dubai Design District, the packed programme until the end of the year aims to feed the creative appetites of the UAE community as well as emerging and established artists and designers contributing to the country’s ever-growing cultural industries.

Season highlights include the launch of the Tashkeel After School Arts Club, the return of the Khatt Foundation, two intriguing exhibitions exploring UAE design, plus the worldwide release of the latest products from the Tanween design programme.

‘In an age when everyone needs to nurture their imagination and creativity both for their personal well-being as well as for school or work, Tashkeel offers plenty of inspiration for all ages and abilities’, says Lisa Ball-Lechgar, Deputy Director of Tashkeel.

‘This season has something for everyone, from absolute beginners to established professionals. It is packed with workshops from illustration and calligraphy to oil painting and fashion design. Plus, our talks and exhibitions will broaden the mind as we explore the innovative work being conceived, designed and created here in the UAE’.

For Young Creatives

Accompanying the exhibition ‘Telling Tales’, children from 4 years and upwards can enjoy Saturday Storytelling and Screenings at Tashkeel in Nad Al Sheba, 10am-11am until October 6.

The all-new Tashkeel After School Arts Club kicks off on September 25 with a fun silhouette workshop led by ‘Telling Tales’ artist Debjani Bhardwaj. Sessions will be held every Tuesday, 4–5.30pm.

Tashkeel also continues its workshops and talks for ages 15-30 at Youth x Hub, Jumeirah Emirates Towers. Led by leading artists Osama Khalaf, Judy Shinnick and others, sessions delve into pastel drawing, realistic drawing, oil painting and arts sponsorship.

Workshops & Talks

Debjani Bhardwaj’s solo exhibition ‘Telling Tales’ (which opened on September 18) presents intricate drawings, papercuts and installations rooted in traditional Emirati and Omani folklore until October 30. The show is accompanied by a programme of talks, workshops and screenings for all ages as well as a catalogue and booklet of illustrated stories. Tours are available upon request.

Tashkeel’s workshops for beginners and advanced take place on Saturdays and weekday evenings. This season, participants explore sketchbook illustration at the monthly ‘Drop in and Draw’ as well as Arabic calligraphy, photo-etching, colour theory and fashion design. Highlights include Wissam Shawkat’s four-part course on Jali Diwani script, and the third edition of the highly popular ‘Critical Dialogues’ course with Kevin Jones.

The Khatt Foundation (the cultural foundation and research centre that works to advance design and typography in the MENA region) returns with workshops led by Dr. Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès on Arabic Lettering (November 16), Arabic Poster Design (November 17) and Bilingual Publication Design, (November 22–25).

Exhibitions & Fairs

From November 6 to December 13, Tashkeel presents Voices of Design at its gallery in Nad Al Sheba. Featuring innovatively designed pieces by 12 UAE-based designers and artists, the exhibition explores the evolution of a UAE design aesthetic through the Tanween design programme and five years of the Van Cleef & Arpels Middle East Emergent Designer Prize.

From November 12 to 17, find Tashkeel at Dubai Design Week with Design+Making UAE – a specially designed showcase exploring design practice in the UAE from concept to completion. Featuring a dynamic programme of workshops, talks and conversations with Khatt Foundation and the Dubai Network for Art, Architecture & Technology, visitors will also be able to explore exhibition stations and pick up affordable products by UAE creatives at the pop-up shop.

From November 13 to 16, find Tashkeel at Downtown Editions at Downtown Design with the latest products designed and manufactured in the UAE by emerging designers from its Tanween design programme – Alya Sultan AlEghfeli, Hala Al Ani, Myrtille Labrune-Ronteix and Renad Hussein.

www.tashkeel.org