Created by Moutamarat, the IDI is the first high-profile creativity and design platform of its kind to emerge from the Arab world. It brings together experts from around the world to exchange knowledge and raise awareness on issues vital to the design industries, and to build a better understanding of the complex role of creativity and design in the business and socio-political spheres.
The IDI is being developed around a flagship series of research projects, meetings, forums, debates, installations and visits. Its aims are comprehensive and its activities will impact on all aspects of global design.
Its stated aim is to turn a spotlight on the design innovations taking place in the Arab world and abroad. It will spark debate, ensure design remains a key driver of change and act as a bridge between regional and international designers.
The IDI's flagship event is the International Design Forum (IDF), which will be held in Dubai from February 3rd to 5th, 2007. The IDF 2007 will focus on industrial and urban design as well as on the relationship between design, business and creativity.
The activities of the IDI are guided and supported by a high-profile Design Advisory Board. Sheikh Majed Hamoud Al-Sabah, Karim Rashid and Ricky Burdett join the Board's fifteen other design luminaries which include Zaha Hadid, architect, UK, and Professor at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna; Nadim Karam, architect, artist and Principal, Atelier Hapsitus, Lebanon; Bernard Khoury, architect, DW5, Lebanon; Rem Koolhaas, architect and Principal of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, OMA, The Netherlands; Khalid al-Najjar, architect and Principal [dxb] LAB, UAE; Stefano Boeri, architect, urban planner and editor of Domus, Italy.
The Design Advisory Board is scheduled to convene in Dubai and other locations prior to the IDF. Throughout the rest of the year, Board members will be in regular contact with Moutamarat to discuss areas of responsibility and involvement, contributions to design publications and participation in special events.
Sheikh Majed Hamoud Al-Sabah explains why the IDI is not only important to design in the Arab world, but also an essential addition to the global design agenda: "The Middle East desperately needs a life-saving plan in design and architecture and I think that the IDI is going to be the platform to make this happen."
And Karim Rashid adds: "Design is the most critical AND NECESSARY ingredient to shaping the future of the Arab world and the rest of the world."
As a multi-disciplinary designer, Karim Rashid couldn't have a higher profile. Half Egyptian and half English, New York-based Rashid has designed pieces for many world-renowned clients including Alessi, Georg Jensen and Prada. As well as furniture, fashion, lighting and art, Rashid has been successful in architecture and interiors. The permanent collections of 14 museums worldwide, including MoMA and SFMoMA, feature his work.
His background in various areas of design, and specifically industrial design, adds an invaluable and powerful voice to the IDI debate. He brings with him a strong international profile—and he also represents an unparalleled design force in the Arab world.
Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah is a visionary and an innovator in the Arab world retail sector. He brought international fashion brands to the region through his style emporium, Villa Moda, which debuted in Kuwait and has since opened in Dubai, Qatar and Damascus.
Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah's success story underlines the significance of design in the region, and his long-term commitment to the IDI greatly strengthens the link between design and business and its celebrations of the design innovations emerging from the Arab world.
Ricky Burdett is currently both Centennial Professor in Architecture and Urbanism at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and an adviser on architecture to the mayor of London. He has been chosen as the director of this year's Venice Biennale, on the theme of world cities.
As one of the recognized international experts in the field of urbanism, his expertise in urban design and urban planning will strengthen one of the central themes of the IDI.
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- United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, July 19 - 2006 at 13:57
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Three major figures from the world of design, Sheikh Majed Hamoud Al-Sabah, Karim Rashid and Ricky Burdett are helping to put the Arab world on the design map by joining the Advisory Board of the International Design Initiative (IDI).
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Posted by Lara Lynn Golden, News EditorWednesday, July 19 - 2006 at 13:57 UAE local time (GMT+4)
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This article was updated on Sat Jan 27 2007.
Notes and Media Contacts »
The International Design Forum, organized by Moutamarat, will be held in Dubai from February 3rd to 5th, 2007.
Moutamarat is a Joint Venture between Tatweer LLC, a Dubai Holding Company, and Saudi Research and Publishing Company.
It is a high profile pan-Arab business initiative seeking to create business knowledge for the Arab world. It develops unique knowledge agendas in partnership with leading regional and international corporations, experts and knowledge centers and unveils these agendas through a prestigious portfolio of conferences where it gathers the most relevant decision-makers.
Moutamarat's research and initiatives are designed to inform the Arab decision-makers with real, contrasted and objective data and to effect a long-term impact on their decisions by involving them in a cumulative and incremental process of knowledge acquisition.
Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah first became interested in fashion as a teenager. He moved to London in 1991, and began, at the age of 20, to realize his dream of creating Villa Moda in Kuwait. He began by introducing American labels to Kuwait in the early nineties, building his reputation as an innovator. It was persuading Domenico de Sole, then Gucci's chief executive, to open the first Gucci store in partnership with him in 1997 that put Sheikh Al-Sabah on the map.
In 2002, he re-launched Villa Moda, this time housed in a glittering glass box in Kuwait's industrial port district. The opening of the Dubai store in the Emirates Towers followed in 2003, Qatar in November 2004, Damascus in March 2006, and he is planning to launch Villa Moda in Bahrain in 2007 and in London in 2010.
Karim Rashid is a leading figure in the fields of product, interior design, fashion, furniture, lighting and art. Born in Cairo, half Egyptian, half English, and raised in Canada, Karim now practices in New York. To date he has had some 2000 objects put into production and has successfully entered the realm of architecture and interiors, designing the Morimoto restaurant in Philadelphia and Semiramis hotel in Athens, which won a Sleep05 European Hotel Design Award. Karim was awarded the 2006 Honorary Doctorate from the Ontario College of Art and Design. Other awards include the 2005 Honorary Doctorate from Corcoran College, 2005 Pratt Legends Award, 2004 A.D. Dunton Alumni Award of Distinction from his alma mater, 2002 ID Magazine Annual Design Review Best of Category, and 2003 best Retail Store in the USA. His work is in the permanent collections of 14 Museums worldwide and he exhibits art in various galleries. Karim was an associate Professor of Industrial Design for 10 years and is now a frequent guest lecturer at universities and conferences globally. He has also released various publications and CDs.
Ricky Burdett is currently both Centennial Professor in Architecture and Urbanism at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and an adviser on architecture to the mayor of London and a member of the Greater London Authority's Architecture and Urbanism Unit. He is also a member of the City of Barcelona's Quality Committee; director of the Urban Age project organized by the LSE Cities Programme; and adviser on architecture to the BBC, Tate and other public agencies in the UK and abroad. Professor Burdett has been appointed Director of the 10th Venice Architectural Biennale, running from September to November 2006.
The identity and branding for the International Design Forum and the International Design Initiative has been created by branding consultancy Winkreative.
For further press information or images please contact:
Rebecca Brook
Moutamarat
Tel: +9714 3210077
Linn Bore / Sandeep Sharma
Promoseven Weber Shandwick
Tel: +9714 321007
Moutamarat is a Joint Venture between Tatweer LLC, a Dubai Holding Company, and Saudi Research and Publishing Company.
It is a high profile pan-Arab business initiative seeking to create business knowledge for the Arab world. It develops unique knowledge agendas in partnership with leading regional and international corporations, experts and knowledge centers and unveils these agendas through a prestigious portfolio of conferences where it gathers the most relevant decision-makers.
Moutamarat's research and initiatives are designed to inform the Arab decision-makers with real, contrasted and objective data and to effect a long-term impact on their decisions by involving them in a cumulative and incremental process of knowledge acquisition.
Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah first became interested in fashion as a teenager. He moved to London in 1991, and began, at the age of 20, to realize his dream of creating Villa Moda in Kuwait. He began by introducing American labels to Kuwait in the early nineties, building his reputation as an innovator. It was persuading Domenico de Sole, then Gucci's chief executive, to open the first Gucci store in partnership with him in 1997 that put Sheikh Al-Sabah on the map.
In 2002, he re-launched Villa Moda, this time housed in a glittering glass box in Kuwait's industrial port district. The opening of the Dubai store in the Emirates Towers followed in 2003, Qatar in November 2004, Damascus in March 2006, and he is planning to launch Villa Moda in Bahrain in 2007 and in London in 2010.
Karim Rashid is a leading figure in the fields of product, interior design, fashion, furniture, lighting and art. Born in Cairo, half Egyptian, half English, and raised in Canada, Karim now practices in New York. To date he has had some 2000 objects put into production and has successfully entered the realm of architecture and interiors, designing the Morimoto restaurant in Philadelphia and Semiramis hotel in Athens, which won a Sleep05 European Hotel Design Award. Karim was awarded the 2006 Honorary Doctorate from the Ontario College of Art and Design. Other awards include the 2005 Honorary Doctorate from Corcoran College, 2005 Pratt Legends Award, 2004 A.D. Dunton Alumni Award of Distinction from his alma mater, 2002 ID Magazine Annual Design Review Best of Category, and 2003 best Retail Store in the USA. His work is in the permanent collections of 14 Museums worldwide and he exhibits art in various galleries. Karim was an associate Professor of Industrial Design for 10 years and is now a frequent guest lecturer at universities and conferences globally. He has also released various publications and CDs.
Ricky Burdett is currently both Centennial Professor in Architecture and Urbanism at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and an adviser on architecture to the mayor of London and a member of the Greater London Authority's Architecture and Urbanism Unit. He is also a member of the City of Barcelona's Quality Committee; director of the Urban Age project organized by the LSE Cities Programme; and adviser on architecture to the BBC, Tate and other public agencies in the UK and abroad. Professor Burdett has been appointed Director of the 10th Venice Architectural Biennale, running from September to November 2006.
The identity and branding for the International Design Forum and the International Design Initiative has been created by branding consultancy Winkreative.
For further press information or images please contact:
Rebecca Brook
Moutamarat
Tel: +9714 3210077
Linn Bore / Sandeep Sharma
Promoseven Weber Shandwick
Tel: +9714 321007
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