Lebanese designer Nada Debs has turned the previous Okhun Gozar Mosque in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, into an exhibition area the place the historic structure offers a backdrop for up to date craft objects.
Debs was commissioned by the Uzbekistan Artwork and Tradition Improvement Basis to rework the disused 18th-century constructing e into an area for presenting native crafts, together with ceramics, embroidery, woodcarving and jewelry.
The mosque was traditionally a social hub for the group, and the renovation mission sought to increase this position whereas supporting new makes use of reminiscent of internet hosting exhibitions, gatherings and academic occasions.
“The transient was to not rework the constructing into one thing fully new, however to disclose its potential as a spot of cultural continuity – the place conventional Uzbek craftsmanship could possibly be skilled in a recent approach,” Debs stated.
Though the constructing had been deserted, its construction remained largely intact.
Debs got down to protect and amplify its current architectural options, together with cupolas and arches that lend the inside a way of spatial rhythm whereas nodding to Tashkent’s historical past as a key hub on the Silk Street – the traditional commerce route linking Asia with the West.
“The objective of the area was to create a temper that pulls from the spirit of the Silk Street,” she informed Dezeen.
“That is expressed by materials heat, particularly with the woodwork and highlighting the rhythm of the cupolas, with wood panjara screens creating intricate shadows and seating areas the place one can converse.”
Interlinked geometric shapes type Tadao Ando-designed Nationwide Museum of Uzbekistan
Different interventions embody restoring surfaces with conventional Uzbek plasterwork, creating openings for circulation and introducing a steady datum line to tie the areas collectively.
Debs opted for a pared-back materials palette comprising wooden, plaster and terrazzo, together with native Gazgan marble, with a purpose to create a impartial backdrop for the craft items on show.
Objects are offered on bespoke wood cupboards fitted into the present arches, with conventional carvings used to brighten among the vertical and horizontal shelf edges.
Different cases the place artisanal methods have been launched embody the delicate ribbing of the Gange plasterwork utilized to the primary cupola, which provides depth by mild and shadow.
“All through the mission, craftsmanship shouldn’t be handled as ornament, however as an integral a part of how the area is constructed and skilled,” Debs identified.
On the base of the cupola, plasterwork is used to create muqarnas – a type of three-dimensional ornament resembling honeycomb that’s generally present in Islamic structure.
Wooden panelling used to carry a way of heat to the primary corridor is embellished with conventional carvings, whereas inexperienced ceramic tiles characteristic on among the show stands and assertion lighting emphasises the peak of the cupolas.
The inclusion of customized furnishings and design components created utilizing conventional strategies displays Debs’ ongoing dedication to combining craft and up to date design in her tasks.
From her Beirut studio, she leads a group engaged on tasks starting from product and furnishings design to one-off commissions spanning artwork, craft, vogue and interiors.
Debs, who is without doubt one of the judges at this 12 months’s Dezeen Awards, beforehand collaborated with grasp craftsman Sirojiddin Rakhmatillaev to create a contemporary tackle a conventional type of Uzbek outside seating generally known as a tapchan.
The images is by Sebastian Bottcher.
