1971 DESIGN SPACE

SHARJAH, UAE

2020

Desert Cast suggests an alternative practical scenario of how the phenomenon of identity could continue to evolve in Kuwait. Through rigorous research on today’s prevalent local architecture, local crafts and availability of easily accessible fabrication methods, a design system was created that merges these contextual “ingredients” to create a series of aesthetic sculptures that are authentic to Kuwait. The created design language is an attempt to intervene and explore the opportunities to transform the existing kitsch architecture into a form of honest and authentically new identity for Kuwait. This search for Kuwaiti identity requires true observation and elucidation of a multitude of subtle local facets, by numerous voices, rather than the oversimplified iconography of local identity that is often applied to the Middle East. Desert Cast is one of these voices, guided by a close relationship to the
idiosyncratic modern application of design and craft in Kuwait, and its journey from the historic to the present.