Held annually by ICD Brookfield Place, Tasmeem is a graphic design and poster exhibition and a competition which pushes the boundaries of graphic art and design. It was conceived with the aim of supporting emerging designers and artists in the region and serves as a crucial platform for them to display their art pieces in the heart of Dubai International Financial Centre. Until 31 August 2023, one has an opportunity to look at the works of those artists who have won the competition this year. The show titled Tasmeem: De-sign Scrapyard is on view at ICD Brookfield Place and is free to attend.
The theme of this year’s Tasmeem edition, “De-sign Scrapyard: An ode to lost ideas, unfinished thoughts, and could-have-beens”, was proposed by Mariam AlZayani, a Bahraini-American designer, artist, and writer. Inspired by AlZayani’s own experiences of repurposing old design pieces, the task for the participants of the competition was to revisit their previous designs, discarded or forgotten, transform them into new artworks, and thus create new endings to an existing story. By working with the rejected ideas and concepts, the artists and designers taking part in the competition were offered to reflect on their design process and question the stigma related to reusing old works.
The show’s special selection committee has chosen twelve winners. Apart from having their works displayed at ICD Brookfield Place and gaining increased visibility and recognition, each of them is granted with an AED 1, 000 cash prize.
The committee features such experts in the field as Fiza Akram (Alserkal Advisory); Ibrahim Khamayseh, a graphic designer; Imad Gebrayel, a designer and researcher; and Turbo and 40MUSTAQEL design studios. Speaking about the exhibition, Fiza Akram said: “[…] The results [of the show] demonstrate an incredible diversity of designs. It has been particularly interesting to see the degree to which the final submissions have departed from their original starting point, and how that […] has led to a reinterpretation of the concept.”
The list of the winners includes:
1. Danial Alemasoum, a Tehran-based graphic designer and interdisciplinary artist who has received a number of Iranian graphic prizes.
2. Eman Fikri, a multidisciplinary graphic designer and illustrator residing in Egypt; among her interests are Arabic type design and lettering.
3. Fatimah Emad Barzaq, a graphic designer fascinated with type design and Augmented Reality.
4. Fatma Ashraf, a graphic designer from Egypt who likes to experiment with type design and media.
5. Lujane AlQaoud, an architect and multidisciplinary designer who aims to merge design disciplines and examines tactile relations through different mediums. Currently, she focuses on object work and the ways of exploring human-object interactions through various means.
6. Maryam Namvar, a multidisciplinary graphic designer working at Minbar Design Studio. She explores and researches social and cultural identity and is interested in preserving cultural heritage and self identity.
7. Maxime Cramatte, a Swiss multidisciplinary artist whose practice involves graphic design, videography, music, and installation. Being in love with remixed culture, his art incorporates the pop-culture aesthetic.
8. Mobius Design Studio is a design studio based in the Emirates. It was founded by designers Hadeyeh Badri, Hala Al-Ani, and Riem Hassan in 2011. Its main aim is empowering design practice and research in the country and the region.
9. Mohamed Alaa, a self-taught graphic designer/illustrator.
10. Mohammed Ameer, a senior graphic designer and researcher who focuses on Arabic typography and how design can be altered in different media forms.
11. Sayed Kammoun, a senior designer at Mojo Ink since 2014. A design enthusiast, he is passionate about type, animation, and experiential design.
12. Younes Al Aboud, a multidisciplinary designer, art director, and graphic designer.
To learn more about Tasmeem: De-sign Scrapyard, please visit ICD Brookfield Place’s official website.
You might also be interested in visiting Press Print! at Aisha Alabbar Gallery.
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