How proud are you of your accomplishments and what does the establishment of Traffic mean to you? Realising my visions has produced selfsatisfaction; an achievement that means more than money or fame. Today, I am pleased with my accomplishments and this includes Traffic. The design store, gallery, artistic hub or imaginative space provides an area in which I can experiment in design, sharing my passion.
Is Dubai a suitable platform from which to share your ideas and vision? Dubai is hungry for culture. The community invites progression and artistic establishments are keen on collaboration - good news for the promotion of culture and arts in the region. Moreover, the city is home to many friends within the art world, whether it be fashion, design or even events planning; it is comforting to see them fulfil their ambitions as I have.
Is your idea to fuse the visual side of design with the more academic discipline (achieved through your in house library) an attempt to broaden the knowledge and reach of the design world in Dubai? Yes. We believe that for design to be respected, education is essential and resources are needed. In addition, we have hosted exhibitions from international colleges such as the AA from London, SCIARC from California and The Berlin Polytechnic, promoting cultural exchange and understanding. Subsequently, we hope to educate varying industries about the benefits of applying well designed industrial solutions to their operations.
What do you hope to achieve by housing work from designers of all different backgrounds? By functioning as a design platform, we give international designers the opportunity to exhibit their work regionally, facilitating them to take inspiration from and progress by studying these pieces. We also hold an annual competition that, in its first round, received more than 100 entries from 13 different Middle Eastern cities. Our goal is to foster this regional talent and to export their designs.
How do you see the future for Traffic and your own personal career? I believe that things develop through new opportunities, team members and collaborations. Ron Arad, the prestigious designer and architect, once said "boredom is the mother of creativity"; once one project is completed, you will naturally move onto something new. My future involves the development of Dubai and its people, with aim to leave a legacy in more than just the design world.