identity’s highlights from Dubai Design Week 2020

Paradis by Meshary AlNassar for Cosentino

A reimagined Persian paradise garden (or ‘Char-Bagh’) created by Kuwaiti interior architect and designer Meshary AlNassar for innovative surfaces brand Cosentino was arguably one of the most visited outdoor installations during Dubai Design Week.

Built entirely out of the ultracompact engineered surface Dekton, ‘Paradis’ is a contemporary interpretation of the ancient gardens such as those found in the Taj Mahal and other such landmarks, which consist of a central water feature that runs through the middle of the layout, a mirroring landscape on each side and a temple set at the centre as a focal point.

‘Paradis’ abstracted the layout of a traditional paradise garden by setting the ‘temple’ at the centre of the installation, allowing for a scale of up to 3.2 metres high. For the water feature, AlNassar incorporated Cosentino’s ‘Liquid’ by PATTERNITY collection that showcases water ripples, translated as patterns on a slab. This emphasises the existence of water within the ‘temple’ of ‘Paradis’.The seating is set horizontally with social distancing in mind.

“At the beginning I wanted visitors to enjoy a cup of coffee, a phone call or a good conversation in our seating, but during Dubai Design Week I noticed people walking into our water feature and getting up close and personal with the slabs, and admiring the height of the walls with their patterns. I think scale is one of the keys of the central space. The scale of the four floating walls gives  visitors a sense of grandeur and visual generosity, and that is something I enjoy doing in most of my work,” AlNassar comments.

“‘Paradis’ was an escape from our current surroundings. The space itself triggers visitors, who have experienced an entire year of lockdowns and fear in the face of the coronavirus, with a number of questions. Are we ready to go back to our roots? Are we ready to take a walk outside and sit under the sun and exhale? I believe so. I believe we deserve that moment for ourselves.”

As part of Cosentino’s commitment to sustainability, the installation will remain in d3 for a period of six months until April 2021, beyond which the materials and flora will have a second life as it finds its way to be reused and recycled.