Numen/For Use is a collective of industrial designers working in the fields of conceptual art, scenography and industrial spatial design whose impressive work has adorned some of the most beautiful spaces in the world and so we proposed introducing a new artistic component that would not only further transform the new space but completely differentiate the new Food Central.
The proposal was completely understood and supported by MAF and we were then tasked with establishing initial conversations with the artist Christoph from the collective and convince an internationally acclaimed artist of the merits of producing a bespoke piece to form the new centrepiece in what was a very untraditional artistic environment.
We then defined and developed Christoph’s brief, worked alongside the artist through the project development, managing the design process from its inception right the way through to the delivery of what was an incredibly ambitious undertaking.
As designers we were able to engage Christoph on an artistic level, understanding and respecting his creative principles and provide him with the necessary creative freedom to deliver the best possible outcome while ensuring the project was technically possible within the space, commercially viable and successful from a retail perspective.
The challenges of the project were exacerbated by the restrictions in place due to Covid with Broadway Malyan managing the artwork design in Austria, its development in UAE, Austria and Germany, its manufacture in Spain, its assembly in Austria, its shipping and approval in Dubai and then its installation on time for the launch of Food Central.
Logistically, projects do not get much more complex than this, but the result is a visually stunning interactive installation that has created a fantastic new layer of interest at Deira City Centre with people talking about it again like it was 1995.
