Isola returns to Dubai Design Week 2023, preparing for design's sustainable future

An initiative to establish a digital and physical platform dedicated to international emerging designers and independent design studios was undertaken by Gabriele Cavallaro and Elif Resitoglu, to foster innovation , sustainability, and biomaterials exploration. This initiative led to the establishment of Isola Design, providing a space for independent designers, and connecting them to design professionals, companies, curators, journalists, and potential clients. Isola is poised to make its return to Dubai Design Week, a renowned design event that will take place from November 7 - 12, 2023, in the vibrant Dubai Design District. The design week is part of a larger endeavour to present the Isola design community to a global audience through participation in design fairs such as the London Design Festival and Eindhoven's Dutch Design Week.

Isola has conceived three exhibitions for the Dubai initiative, namely: Anatolia, Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens, and Materialized, alongside 'An Iceberg in the Desert,’ an installation by Tellurico studio based in the Netherlands. Over 60 designers, creators, craftsmen, and design studios are anticipated to fly to the Emirates to showcase their work within one of the three design exhibitions. Isola's display this year is devoted primarily to topics of collectible design and circularity, offering a compelling exploration of these concepts.

Below, STIR summarises the essence of the upcoming exhibitions devised by Isola for Dubai Design Week 2023.

Anatolia

Anatolia is a collective exhibition inspired by the great crossroads of ancient civilisations. The showcase has been conceived by Isola’s curatorial team in collaboration with furniture design studio Grob Design, while the lighting design is done by Italian brand iGuzzini. The exhibition will highlight Anatolian design and have an ambience evocative of the Silk Road, the historic trading route that connected the West and the East, and served as a pivotal point for cross-cultural communication in the regions it passed through. Resitoglu, who is from Turkey, comments on the exhibit—"I am very excited that for the first time, Isola is putting together a collective that aims to embody the new Anatolian lifestyle. The exhibition combines traditional and innovative techniques with luxury and contemporary design, which reflect the unique mix of ancient and modern influences that characterise the Turkish region."

More than 25 Turkish and Middle Eastern designers, design studios, and brands will present their projects and research within Anatolia. Bigecanan Eren, founder of Grob Design, in collaboration with Resitoglu, has designed a booth recreating a Turkish Kervansaray, an ancient resting place for caravans and travellers. In the context of the exhibition, the booth is set to become a platform for visitors to exchange ideas, enhance their network, join workshops, and purchase a selection of lifestyle objects crafted by participating brands and designers.

Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens

Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens is a collective show featuring circular product designs and collectible design pieces. Its name draws inspiration from Isola Design Festival’s theme for this year, urging all design participants to make a tangible adjustment to their way of operating and to come closer to the idea of regeneration in all of its manifestations. The pieces on exhibit will emphasise the fundamentals of sustainable design and craftsmanship, demonstrating inventive collaborations between craftsmen and sustainable innovations. The space will be a stage for daily design talks, project presentations, workshops, and networking events, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and expertise among design professionals and enthusiasts.

The layout of the space is designed by Tellurico and will accommodate a lounge area by design brand Arper. The event's sponsor, The Good Plastic Company brand, will launch its products for the first time in the Middle East, in partnership with renowned Dubai-based conglomerate Danube Group, by providing recycled plastic materials for the Polygood Design Bar. iGuzzini will illuminate the space with their new lighting system called Libera while Milan-based Designtech, in collaboration with Isola, will present an innovation platform presenting an opportunity to allow Italian companies to make themselves known internationally, and for global companies to connect with Milan.

Materialized

Curating a showcase of inspiration for designers and design enthusiasts alike, Materialized will present market-ready products realised with natural raw resources, biomaterials, and industrial waste selected by Isola's curatorial team, as well as from a diverse array of material samples sourced in Colab's extensive library, the first purpose-built material library in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The exhibition space is designed by IAMMI, a collectible and interior design studio, and promises to be entirely environmentally friendly. It aims to push the limits of sustainable design while promoting a greater awareness of the creative possibilities that arise from a varied and rich material palette. Sand from the nearby natural beach or leftover industrial materials such as concrete debris are placed into different-sized recycled plastic or cloth bags. For a flexible, adaptable, and movable system, all of these containers are positioned on short, white wooden platforms, some of which have wheels.

An Iceberg in the Desert

Tellurico employs recycled plastic to create sculptures of icebergs that serve as symbols of sustainability, awareness, and artistic expression. These sculptures operate as useful urban seating in addition to having an iceberg-like look, like an unexpected oasis emerging amid the desert's scorching heat. Their inclusion adds a unique dimension and thought-provoking element to the cityscape. Beyond aesthetics, the icebergs serve as a wake-up call, bringing attention to issues such as rising sea levels, loss of glaciers, and rising temperatures associated with the mounting plastic consumption by humans.

Tellurico uses Polygood®, a material made from 100 per cent recycled plastic conceived by The Good Plastic Company. Through this upcycled design installation, Tellurico repurposes more than 500 kilograms of plastic. To construct the icebergs, the brand will also contribute to the fabrication of the panels. This material's aesthetic benefits are on par with its sustainability features—the Polygood® panels are made from a variety of post-consumer and post-industrial plastic waste sources, including refrigerators, single-use cutlery, electronics, and industrial consumables.

Isola at Dubai Design Week 2023 promises to be an interactive and informative event for design enthusiasts and professionals alike. These exhibitions strive to challenge the boundaries of innovation, sustainability, and creativity. Isola's admirable dedication to advancing sustainable design and building relationships within the design community is reflected in all the showcases. Their efforts, which are being showcased during the design event, are expected to stimulate discussions about the future of design while inspiring people, making it an essential stop for every person enthusiastic about sustainability, ingenuity, and imagination in design.