Al Qouz workshops, warehouses turn into art spaces

People participate in a book binding workshop. — Supplied photos

Up until a few years ago, streets in the Al Qouz Industrial Area in Dubai were lined with the left-over dust and dirt from construction material. It was almost like a ghetto where a large contingent of blue-collar workers lived and most of the shops and warehouses were filled with industrial spare parts, bags of cement and used cars.

Today, a huge number of workers still reside in Al Qouz, but they now co-exist with a thriving art community. With the opening of art spaces like Al Serkal Avenue, The Courtyard, Jam Jar and other spaces, the once grey concrete walls of Al Qouz began getting brightened with colours of post-modernist artworks and graffiti.

The transformation of Al Qouz’s workshops and warehouses into creative art spaces was gradual. And a lot of the art presented at these venues, workshops and events are essentially non-commercial. Unlike events like Sikka, Design Days, and Art Dubai that have caught the attention of the art community at large, the quiet art and creative workshops held in Al Qouz are a slightly more intimate affair, making noise on social media channels that its members are active on. And that is what Dubai needs more of, at least according to Ramy Alawssy, founder of ING Creatives.

Tools used in book binding.

Iraqi national and Dubai resident Alawssy founded ING, which is a creative community that organises talks, workshops and conferences that explore creativity, design and entrepreneurship in Dubai. Alawssy and his tight community of ‘creatives’ (people in the creative industry) in Dubai believe that the UAE could use more non-commercial ideas for its advertisements, videos and art demonstrations.

Alawssy said: “The content created in the UAE is mainly commercial. I would love to see agencies and corporations creating content that promotes and supports existing initiatives to make things better within the UAE community; especially in regards to issues of labourers and the environment, among others. I might not be aware, but I am yet to see any of the large corporations supporting initiatives which contribute positively towards the local community.”

 

The intention is to encourage creative art fields like photography, art direction, typography, graphic design and art direction.

He added: “And such a change would not come from top down, it’s the other way round, where we at the bottom need to start to spread and make the change we want to see in the world around us. I believe if we are capable of making a positive change, starting with ourselves, the rest will follow.” Alawssy, who has over seven years of experience in the industry, has been shuttling between the UAE and Malaysia. In Dubai, he has organised several creative conferences, workshops and talks in association with Behance, leading online platform to showcase and discover creative work. He founded the think tank four months ago, prior to which he had been organising events with the help of Behance.

“There is a massive opportunity in Dubai for creative expansion,” said Alawssy.

“As of now, there is no platform for non-commercial

Ramy Alawssy with Ryan Romanes, Graphic Desginer.

creativity. There is no scope for portfolio reviews, feedback from industry experts and ideas. Dubai has developed very quickly, and in a very short span of time. There is, however, talent here that comes from all over the world,” said Alawssy.

So far, ING has organised book binding, Arabic calligraphy and paper craft workshops in Dubai.

ING Creatives looks at this gap in the creative industry as an opportunity. “Another aspect that could be stopping more young minds to enter the creative industry is the backward mindset. Parents still prefer a career in the medical/engineering field for their children. If they were to encourage more kids in the creative field, there would be more minds working together,” he added.

Yah-Leng Yu, co-founder of Foreign Policy Design Agency, said: “Design is not a one-sided affair; it’s about meeting like-minded people who inspire one another.”

“We occasionally get local art directors from top agencies to come and speak about their work and review the work of participants,” said Alawssy. 

First creative conference

ING will be organising the first, unique creative conference in Dubai on March 27 and 28. “It will have talks, workshops, creative conferences, portfolio reviews and other events as part of the conference,” said Alawssy.

Industry experts from across the globe will be speaking at the conference. Some of the speakers are” Matias Corea, co-founder of Behance; and Clément Faydi, principal designer of Behance; Fredrik Öst and Erik Kockum, co-founders of SNASK, a Swedish creative agency; Michael Karnjanaprakorn, co-founder of Skillshare; and Paloma Rincon, photographer. The conference will provide participants with the ample opportunity to interact with like-minded creative professionals and get feedback on their portfolios.

Creative community wall

ING is also organising an event where Spanish graffiti artist Ruben Sanchez will work on a Creative Community Wall. It will take place on February 13 at the Lake Level, V3 tower, Cluster V, Jumeirah Lake Towers.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com