Designing the Future: Year of Sustainability launches the second edition of its Material Lab Fellowship Programme

The UAE Year of Sustainability launches the second edition of its ‘Material Lab’ Fellowship Programme, a collaborative model for sustainable production that engages UAE-based designers, innovators and creatives, to rethink production and design, from conception to manufacturing. 

Selected from across the UAE, the second cohort of ‘Material Lab’ includes: Abdulla Alali, AlZaina Lootah, Basil Al-Taher, Lina Ghalib, Mariam Almuheiri, Munira Almulla, Nadine Ghazal, Nour Kays, Reem Jeghel, and Zainab AlBlooki, led by Mohamed Rowaizak – a fellow of the 2023 edition of ‘Material Lab’. The names were announced at a meet-and-greet event, where the second cohort of material Lab fellows presented the materials that they will be working with and marked the beginning of their research.
 

The 2024 Material Lab event also included input from industry experts and design professionals to inspire the creatives in leaving behind a legacy of sustainable production and design in the UAE. Founder and Creative Director of Colab, Richard Wilson, shared his journey of developing regionally-sourced materials and creating a material library that functions as library and learning centre; Founder of MERU and Co-Founder of Alchemy of Dyeing Mehru Khan narrated the experimental journey of alchemical dyeing local material and the results achieved; and Assistant Director, Research Visualization and Fabrication Services at NYU Abu Dhabi Jumaanah Alhashemi presented academic research and fabrication works, as well as facilities and amenities that can support the Material Lab Program. 
 

In a ‘Material Lab’ provides creatives with research support, resources, workshops and mentorship to pioneer methods of material innovation by utilising local and accessible resources. The program focuses on the full lifecycle of the material, from sourcing raw components, material composition, testing and plausibility to design thinking, fabrication, scalability, and application.

The Year of Sustainability continued into 2024 under the banner of “Plan To Action”, with a renewed commitment towards catalysing sustainable behavioural change, and Ayesha Hadhir emphasised on the importance of engaging creatives towards rethinking the future of sustainable production and manufacturing in the UAE.

“In a time of unprecedented growth and fast-paced production where there is high consumption and waste, our goal is to explore various materials sourced from natural resources in the UAE, excess waste, and other unconventional sources. By innovating sustainable, biodegradable and eco-friendly material, we aim to bolster the circular economy through pioneering a fresh approach to harness the potential of aged and discarded material. The fellows of the Material Lab Programme are agents of change, transforming not only the products they create but also the mindset of consumption and waste in society.” she said. 

With material innovation guiding the heart of the process, the theme of the 2024 Material Lab Fellowship Programme draws inspiration from the UAE’s rich heritage, craft and resourcefulness. By researching, exploring, and developing sustainable material using locally sourced elements, fellows will pioneer final products that imbue the UAE’s deeply-rooted values of sustainability.