Artists showcase their work in COP28

Fifteen designers showcased their innovative, sustainable work at COP28 held in December 2023. Reflecting the deep-rooted connection in the UAE between people and nature, they subvert the expectations of design. Instead of common materials, they used unique sustainable materials to exhibit how creativity and innovation can contribute to sustainable living.


By merging design and materials with science, the designers produced artistic decor that reflects the UAE’s rich culture and heritage. Their designs are inspired by the way our ancestors lived, taking from nature only what they needed. The original products keep our history and heritage alive and celebrate the UAE’s diversity and unity. In a testament to their dedication, hard work, and passion for sustainability, they always consider the full life cycles of their products and how they affect nature. 

These designers prove that we can extend sustainability to all aspects of our lives. Watch the documentary below to learn more about their processes. 

Reema Al Muheiri 
Tibrah is a floor lamp with three lampshades made from biodegradable materials combining fish scales and a natural binder. Inspired by the Emirati community's relationship with the sea, it promotes sustainability and awareness of environmental and social impacts. 

Wafa Al Falahi 
Roots symbolises connection and heritage. Inspired by cherished memories with the designer’s grandmother, the lighting project uses biodegradable henna components and versatile steel structures to promote resource efficiency and a sense of togetherness. 

Huda Al Aithan 
Anamil (Fingertips) is a pendant light that celebrates the craft of Safeefah with a metal frame wrapped in 12 metres of handwoven palm fronds. The design aims to preserve this fading craft and support its female practitioners by sharing their stories and economically empowering them. 

Lana El Samman 
Enriched by Sharjah's heritage, Mokaعab is a blend of traditional architectural practices، like locally woven palm-leaf، and modern design. The cubes, made of a wooden structure with metal components and woven camel leather and khoos, can be adapted for multifunctional use, reflecting both Emirati culture and contemporary needs. 

Khawla Al Balooshi 
The ghaf tree is vital for its role in providing food, shelter, and resources throughout history. Taht Al Ghaf features seven half-cylinder shapes of treated wood that highlight the tree's detailed bark and cast shadows evoking the tree’s heritage, warmth, and resilience in the desert. 

Maryam Elattar & Mohamed Elnaggar 
Doroob is a multifunctional shelving unit and standing desk that embodies the circular economy, using reclaimed materials such as construction remnants and fired clay. The design reflects on sustainability and the journey of materials, blending treated wood and concrete to create a contemporary piece. 

Chinara Darwish 
The Alchemy Series: Dining Table is crafted from 100% locally-sourced marine and construction LDPE waste. Designed with sustainability at its core, each bespoke table, made from 193 kg of plastic waste, features a unique surface pattern and aims to offer practical solutions to plastic waste challenges. 

Sara Abu Farha & Khaled Shalkha
Datecrete is a cementitious material derived from the by-products of date stoning. The innovative product showcases the seeds' cultural and mechanical properties through a console that contrasts smooth and coarse surfaces, aiming to highlight the material’s historical significance and practical potential.

Shaza Khalil
sKin is an organic light fixture made with kombucha skin. Its design, based on the shape of a dry plumeria leaf, features a metal rod and mesh that mimic the leaf's structure, with an LED strip illuminating the fixture to create a glowing, nature-inspired aesthetic.

Ebrahim Assur
Driven by sustainability, the Kaseeriya bench reflects unity and elegance through its fractal design, inspired by the exoskeleton of palm trees. Crafted from 80% biodegradable Palmade® pallets and MBM recycled cork, the bench combines natural beauty with sustainable materials, echoing both Islamic heritage and environmental consciousness.

Lina Ghalib
Yereed reinterprets the stories of survival and adaptation by transforming palm midribs into a modern hardwood material for furniture, reclaiming and repurposing them through a unique fabrication process that honours traditional building techniques while offering new design possibilities.

Reem Jeghel
Reem’s furniture design is inspired by the AlSadu weaving craft, reflecting the intricate patterns and traditional techniques of this art form. The piece, featuring a unique blend of functionality and aesthetic details, integrates woven fabric-inspired elements, slanted legs, and a side table, creating a tactile and culturally-rich seating experience.

Afra AlFalasi
This piece honours the Emirati tradition of living sustainably with nature, drawing inspiration from Bayt Al Sha’ar and the date palm tree. The design features a cluster of linear wooden elements mimicking palm trunks, with an etched Al Shajara Sadu pattern and woven fabrics that reinterpret traditional majlis seating.

Rand Al Drei
"Threads of Wasl" celebrates unity and diversity in the UAE, inspired by the palm tree's symbolism of sustenance and strength. The design reflects interconnectedness through jagged forms and intricate embroidery, creating a functional, welcoming seating piece that embodies the rich cultural tapestry of the UAE.

Ammar Kalo
His work interrogates the relationship between digital technology and craft through a dialogue between materiality, form, and a heightened attention to detailing.