The Iris Ceramica Group promotes the international “Local Cultures in Global Settings” contest, open to architecture, art, and design professionals who have graduated since 2013. In an increasingly global society, the aim of the contest is to restore value to local communities by safeguarding cultural roots, promoting technological innovation, and helping to create conscious communities that share common values and are committed to acting against climate change.
The contest, promoted by the Iris Ceramica Group and curated by UAE Modern, invites people from very different backgrounds to sign a transcultural pact that strengthens their ties and favors their actions. In this context, Dubai was chosen as the final destination of the contest and a symbolic place for the global community. Overcoming the stereotype of a place without context, today Dubai is a rapidly evolving multicultural hub. A living laboratory in which over two hundred communities contribute to forging a new globalized identity, offering the opportunity to rethink the relationship between culture, nature, and technology.
Participation
To participate in the “Local Cultures in Global Settings” contest, professionals are being asked to create a geometric or figurative pattern for square or rectangular ceramic slabs, which will be produced using the “Design Your Slab” ceramic printing process. Competing projects, submitted in digital format with possible applications and a short conceptual text, must meet the requirements of modularity, originality, and visual innovation. They must be applicable in contemporary spaces and may relate to interiors, exteriors, or the architectural envelope.
Participation in the competition is free, and the deadline for registration and submissions is July 31, 2023. The contest entries, which must be sent anonymously, will be submitted to the unquestionable judgment of the jury composed of designer Lidewij Edelkoort, architect Monica Mazzolani, Federica Minozzi, CEO of the Iris Ceramica Group, architect Abeer Seikhaly, and designer Khalid Shafar.
The prizes for the winner include the creation of a prototype, the exhibition and publication of the project, and a three-day trip to Dubai on the occasion of Design Week 2023.