JAMEEL PRIZE 3: THE SHORTLIST
exposition 11/12-21/4/2014

There were almost 270 nominations for the Jameel Prize 3 from countries as diverse as Algeria, Brazil, Kosovo, Norway and Russia. A panel of judges, chaired by V&A Director, Martin Roth, selected the shortlist of ten artists and designers. Martin Roth said:
'This, the third Jameel Prize, has continued to attract nominations from around the world, and for the first time the shortlist features work from Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and India. The Jameel Prize 2011 touring exhibition has also attracted a wide audience, showing in America, Spain and France to more than 20,000 visitors. We are delighted to continue our work on the Jameel Prize with Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives (ALJCI).'

The work of the shortlisted artists and designers will be shown at the V&A from 11 December 2013 until 21 April 2014. Although the shortlist is diverse, all the artists and designers are directly inspired by sources rooted in the Islamic tradition. The works on show will range from Arabic typography and calligraphy to fashion inspired by the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul and from social design and video installation to delicate and precise miniature drawings.
The winner of the Jameel Prize 3 will be announced at the V&A on 10 December 2013.

About the judges
Award-winning architect Dame Zaha Hadid is Patron of the Jameel Prize. The judges are:

• Thomas Heatherwick, designer and founder of Heatherwick Studio Heatherwick Studio website
• Rashid Koraïchi, winner of the Jameel Prize 2011 Read more about the Jameel Prize 2011
• Martin Roth, V&A Director Read more about Martin Roth
• Nada Shabout, Associate Professor of Art History and the Director of the Contemporary Arab and Muslim Cultural Studies Institute (CAMCSI) at the University of North Texas, USA CAMCSI website
• Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès, Founding Director of the Khatt Foundation, Centerfor Arabic Typography The Khatt Foundation, Center for Arabic Typography website

About the shortlisted artists:
Faig Ahmed
Faig Ahmed was born in Baku, Azerbaijan where he currently lives and works. He graduated from Azerbaijan State Fine Art Academy with a BA in Sculpture in 2004 and his work explores the composition of traditional Azerbaijani carpets.
For the Jameel Prize 3, Faig Ahmed will exhibit two works, Hollow (2011) and Pixelate Tradition (2012), based on traditional Azerbaijani rug making. Ahmed disassembles the rug’s conventional structure and randomly rearranges the components of the traditional composition often combining these fragments with contemporary sculptural forms. The carpet is a traditional symbol of the East, but Ahmed makes slight changes in the form of the carpet to dramatically change its structure and to make it more suitable for modern life. www.faigahmed.com

Nada Debs
Nada Debs is a renowned Lebanese furniture and product designer. She was born Beirut, brought up in Japan and now lives and works in Beirut. In 1988 she graduated with a BA in Interior Architecture from Rhode Island School of Design, USA. After this Debs moved to London and set up her own design company designing and producing custom furniture, specialising in children’s furniture.
In 2000 Nada Debs returned to her roots in Lebanon and set up her company East and East which designs, manufactures and sells her own furniture and home accessory lines.
For the Jameel Prize 3, Nada Debs will exhibit Concrete Carpet (2010), a large scale work which celebrates her blend of Middle Eastern craftsmanship with Far Eastern philosophy. Debs mixes concrete inlaid with mother-of-pearl to create a seemingly traditional Persian carpet made with modern materials.
The carpet is divided into 28 panels, similar to Japanese Tatami mats, each panel featuring a letter of the Arabic alphabet and the font used in the design was developed in collaboration with Arabic type designer and typographer Pascal Zoghbi (also shortlisted for the Jameel Prize 3) as a corporate font for her business. Debs' use of abstract repetitive patterns is typical of Islamic geometry and is a major feature in this piece.
www.nadadebs.com

Mounir Fatmi
Mounir Fatmi was born in Morocco and lives and works between Paris and Tangier. He graduated from the School of Fine Arts, Casablanca in 1989; and the School of Fine Arts, Rome in 1991.
Fatmi creates videos, installations, drawings, paintings and sculptures that directly address the current events of the world, appealing directly to the viewers doubts, fears and desires. He attempts to create a dialogue between traditional Arabic calligraphy, European legacy and the recent urbanisation in the Middle East.
For the Jameel Prize 3, Fatmi will show a video work entitled Modern Times: A History of the Machine (2010-12). Modern Times explores architecture in the Middle East, raising the question of the human impact of ‘unrelenting’ construction. His work often highlights a fraught relationship with architecture and the dystopic effects of contemporary displays of power and economic might. The arabesques of Arabic calligraphy are a recurring motif in his work but a layer of ambiguity eclipses the meaning of the words, as if the message were disappearing into the engine of a machine. www.mounirfatmi.com

Rahul Jain
Rahul Jain is textile designer and historian. He was born, lives and works in in New Delhi. For the Jameel Prize 3 he will show two works, The Snow Leopard (2007) and The Birds of Paradise (2008).
In 1993 Jain set up ASHA, a workshop of traditional Indian drawlooms in Varanasi which weaves patterned silk samite, lampas, double-cloth and velvet textiles, modelled on historical Indian, Iranian, and Turkish fabrics.
In keeping with local tradition, ASHA's design repertoire draws inspiration from historical Indo-Iranian textiles, while re-interpreting traditional imagery and inventing new content. By maintaining the mathematical discipline of the classical art, the repertoire remains grounded in the austere geometry that lies at the heart of Islamic décor.
ASHA's woven images, motifs, and textures are inspired by Mughal, Safavid and Ottoman silks and made in pure silk, gold and silver. As a centuries-old Indo-Iranian art nears extinction, they also represent the last attempt to preserve, locally, an extraordinary body of drawloom-weaving skills and techniques, and to extend into the future a tradition of outstanding craftsmanship.

Dice Kayek
Dice Kayek is one of Turkey’s most well known fashion labels and was established in Paris in 1992 by sisters Ece and Ayse Ege. The sisters were raised in Bursa, Turkey and now live and work between Istanbul and Paris.
After the successful launch of their first collection, displaying their unique take on the conventional white shirt, Dice Kayek became a well known name. The brand reflects its Turkish origins, bridging east and west, the traditional and the modern, as well as the luxurious and the sober.
For the Jameel Prize 3, Dice Kayek will show three garments from Istanbul Contrast (2010), a collection of 19 couture pieces which draws inspiration from Istanbul’s Islamic heritage in architecture, arts and crafts and its rich religious and cultural diversity.
Caftan, a lamé hand-woven brocard, plays homage to Ottoman sartorial style as a symbol of status, power and honour. Dome is a light-weight cotton organdi dress entirely folded by hand which brings to mind the layers of domes of the Blue Mosque, one of the most significant buildings of Istanbul’s Islamic heritage. Hagia Sofia is inspired by the interior of the Hagia Sofia; a white satin coat, its complex embroidery stitched entirely by hand with antique blown glass beads. www.dicekayek.com

Waqas Khan
Waqas Khan was born in Akhtarabad, Pakistan and lives and works in Lahore, Pakistan. He graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from the National College of Arts in 2008 where he trained in the miniature style. He is skilled in the art of printmaking and pointillism, using small dots to build up forms and shapes that seem to extend into infinity and challenges traditional miniature painting by presenting small scale miniature drawings in large scale.
For the Jameel Prize 3, Khan will show two works, Tranquil Pool (2012) and Dance in retina II (2012), which exemplify how he employs dots, marks and lines to express himself and to give the viewer the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of visual infinity.
Khan’s work is precise and delicate. He does not use magnifying glasses and usually works at night. He holds his breath whilst drawing and exhales only after the ink is on the paper. This long process drives him into a trance-like state which enables him to create works that evolve from simple dots into organic structures, patterns and compositions with a deceptive simplicity. His drawings are built up from ideas and concepts obtained from Muslim, Hindu and Sufi traditions.

Laurent Mareschal
Laurent Mareschal was born, lives and works in Paris. He graduated from Le Fresnoy, Studio national des arts contemporains, Tourcoing, France in 2005 and the Ecole national supérieure des beaux-arts, Paris in 2002. Much of his work is underpinned by a preoccupation with incommunicability and invites audience involvement. Laurent lived for several years in Israel, and much of his work reflects Hebrew and Arabic influences and the issues of translation, mediation and intervention.
For the Jameel Prize 3, Mareschal will display a new site specific work entitled Beiti (2013). Mareschal often uses ephemeral materials such as spices, soap and food in his work as a powerful way to evoke our own fragility and remind the viewer that nothing lasts. In the presence of these fragile raw materials, Mareschal invites the audience to participate and even transform his work. A triggering of the senses might result in a sneeze above some tiling composed of fragrant spices or a breath before lines of brown sugar, leading to these elements being displaced. His work is often a replica of decorative ceramic tiles from an old Palestinian house or traditional Palestinian embroidery.

Nasser Al Salem
Nasser Al Salem was born, lives and works in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He graduated in Architecture from Um Al-Kora University, Mecca. Nasser is first and foremost a calligrapher working with the Arabic written word. His practice re-invents this age-old Islamic art by employing non-conventional mixed media forms and exploring its conceptual potential.
For the Jameel Prize 3, Nasser will show two works Kul (2012) and Kul I (2012), which reflect both his use of mixed media but also the tradition of ink on paper. This expression, meaning ‘all,’ ‘everything’ or ‘infinite’, is represented repeatedly to create an endless ripple effect that is not only associated with the abundance of God’s creation but suggests deeper interpretations.
Nasser’s practice is a personal form of devotion, but he also aims to prompt the viewer to re-think their definition of Arabic calligraphy and to dispel the notion that it is limited to the category of Islamic art and craft. He sees calligraphy has having far-reaching conceptual potential and an influential role to play in contemporary artistic practice.

Florie Salnot
Florie Salnot was born in France and lives and works between Hamburg, London and Paris. She has a background in Social Sciences (La Sorbonne) and Cabinet Making (Ecole Boulle) and graduated from the Royal College of Art, London with a MA in Design Products in 2010.
Salnot is a designer working in the area of social design, craft and product design. The vision behind, and motivation for her work is to use design as a medium to improve people’s lives, to strengthen individual and cultural confidence and to enable independent living. She believes in a collaborative approach with people all along the design process. This includes creative and empathic research methods to gain first hand insights. Florie is passionate about craft making techniques and exploring the various possibilities offered by materials.
For the Jameel Prize 3, Salnot will exhibit jewellery designs from Plastic Gold (2010-ongoing), a project inspired by the traditional ornaments of the Saharawi women of the Sahara desert. Salnot developed a technique, specifically designed to transform discarded plastic bottles into pieces of jewellery, that could be practiced within the barren conditions of the Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria. The technique uses only hot sand, simple hand tools and some paint. Plastic Gold aims to empower the Saharawis both economically and culturally by enabling them to practice craft activities despite the lack of traditional resources. The necklaces and bracelets on display stand as an example of how this could be done. Their patterns are characterised by a multiplicity of geometrical shapes that were traditionally drawn on leather and metal.

Pascal Zoghbi
Pascal Zoghbi is an Arabic type designer who was born, lives and works in Beirut, Lebanon. He graduated from Notre Dame University, Louaize, Lebanon with a BA in Graphic Design in 2002, and from The Royal Academy of Arts, The Hague, The Netherlands with a Master of Design in Type and Media in 2006.
Zohgbi is the founder of 29 letters, an Arabic type design and typography firm in Beirut, and his work includes creating new Arabic fonts, corporate identities and print publications. He is one of only a few designers working in the relatively new discipline of contemporary Arabic typography.
For the Jameel Prize 3, Zoghbi will exhibit examples from his 29LT Fonts Collection. His work refers to the traditional Arabic calligraphic style and his challenge is to draw the new fonts in a contemporary way yet in line with the structure and proportions of traditional letters. Depending on the design brief of the project, he will choose which traditional style of Arabic calligraphy such as Kufic, Naskh, Thuluth, Diwani or Ruqaa to base his design on. He might also make a hybrid type based on two styles. Understanding the traditional calligraphic styles and comprehending the proper structure of each style is a key aspect for a contemporary Arabic type designer.

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