Lecture by Raghad Al-Ali, Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council Research Fellow (April 2023)
Due to the cultural and sustainable significance of looking inwards and returning to the vernacular, the project presents research into the material possibilities of the environment of the United Arab Emirates through a mapping of its different geographies through the study of its material, architectural and crafts history. The research presents a material palette formulated from found samples of each environment and bio-material research through experiments in the labs, with a lens on material design and building innovation. The project highlights vernacular architecture and crafts as case studies to propose a hybrid of innovative fabrication techniques and bio-material experiments, with the aim of preserving the crafts culture and proposing material possibilities of a new vernacular to address climate challenges.
About the speaker
Raghad Al-Ali was awarded a fellowship by American University of Sharjah through the commissioning and curation of Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council. Through the advisory of Professor George Katodrytis and the assistance of student researchers, the work is culminated in a research booklet, a bio-material palette, and a series of functional objects made of the different bio-materials.
For more information, please contact Jameela Mohammad | [email protected].
