Meet Lujaine Rezk – Interior Designer and Woodwork Advocate

Lujaine Rezk has been very busy. The Alexandria-born/ UAE-based interior designer has recently graduated from the American University of Sharjah and has already embarked on her independent journey to experiment with woodwork in the forms of furniture and installation fabrication.

In the heart of Dubai Design District, Lujaine will be exhibiting her bench ‘alManamah’ as a contemporary artefact for Abwab Pavilion at Dubai Design Week. AlManamah explores the relationship between public and private,their differences and their unison, created as a reproduction of the traditional bench found in the Gulf’s public spaces. The bench was produced using cost efficient materials and techniques, to be light, stackable and flatpacked.

In collaboration with designer colleague Albert Kolambel, Lujaine has also created ‘Screen’ as part of Dubai Design Week’s installation programme. Deeply inspired by the Middle Eastern culture and traditional elements, ‘Screen’ is a conceptual interpretation of the Mashrabiyah, lattice woodwork privacy screens that once masked the exterior of buildings and gave its occupants the chance to view the outside while remaining unseen. Each ‘Screen’ is manufactured using wooden frames with stretched sheer fabric. Visitors are given the opportunity to walk through/ around the layers of ‘Screens’ to experience the different levels of privacy, transitioning from the public to the private realm.

JDEED got a hold of Lujaine between her coffee breaks to find out more about the designer.

Words / Yosr El-Sherbiny

Tell me about the moment you discovered your love for design.

It wasn’t so much a moment but more of a progression. I studied design so I was pretty much dedicated to it, but it was towards the final few years in my education when I discovered that I really enjoy the process of making – the production and the fabrication. Ever since, I started seeking opportunities to design and make things.

How does residing in the UAE/ being an Arab influence your designs? Has it influenced your projects for Dubai Design Week?

Yes, very much so. My work usually addresses issues and phenomenons that I experience in the context of the UAE. It is my way of attempting to understand the effect of the city on me, as well as respond to it.  

As a designer, what themes do you wish to explore?

If I were given a project without a brief, I would investigate and include space, place, community and culture as central themes in my work. I am especially interested in the methods in which communities find ways to reclaim and belong to public and private spaces.

Ideas inspire me. I am interested in exploring and understanding all forms of conceptual interactions, whether intimate or public.

alManamah – Bench

How would you describe the creative scene and your role within this community of upcoming designers in the UAE?

The creative scene in the UAE is becoming less commercial and more fostering of emerging artists/designers. This allows for more local work to be produced.

Do you believe that Art should be funded in the Middle East?

Yes, it is the stimulator of culture, thought and intellect. The more accessible it is, the more elevated the community becomes.

What would you advise aspiring designers in the Middle East?

My advice to aspiring designers is to ‘do what you want to do and don’t settle for what you think you should be doing’. The best advice I have ever received is to keep working hard and moving forward.

What are your plans for the future? Are you hoping to work in other parts of the Middle East?

I plan to have my own studio. My future studio could be thought of as a nomadic concept in which I move to a different country every few months and work on site specific/inspired projects.

Screen – with Albert Kolambel

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alManamah:

‘alManamah’ is the Arabic term for ‘a place where one can sleep’

Exhibition Date: 14-17 November, 10 am – 10 pm & 18 November, 10 am – 7 pm

Location: Abwab Pavilion, Dubai Design District (between buildings 4 +6)

Screen:

Exhibition Date: 14-17 November, 10 am – 10 pm & 18 November, 10 am – 7 pm

Location: Entrance, Dubai Design District (between buildings 5 +7)

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Dubai Design Week will be held between 13th – 18th November. To learn more about the programs and their locations, visit www.dubaidesignweek.ae