Traces
Designer Nada Debs announces the launch of WA Collective, a new platform dedicated to contemporary craftsmanship, cultural exchange and collaboration, unveiled at the Nada Debs Boutique in Alserkal Avenue.
Conceived as a cross-cultural platform bringing together artisans and designers from around the world, WA Collective reflects Debs’ long-standing belief in craft as a universal language capable of connecting people. Meaning 'and' in Arabic and 'harmony' in Japanese, WA embodies a dialogue between creative voices, cultures and materials.
The collective functions as a curated gallery of handcrafted works that transcend discipline and scale, with each collection amplifying the unique voice and skillset of its maker. Based on ideas of duality, WA seeks to foster meaningful conversations around works of the hand while creating greater visibility for artisans and designers.
“The WA Collective was born from years of travel and encounters with artisans and designers whose practices carry stories of place, culture and identity,” says Debs. “Through this platform, I hope to create meaningful exchanges that celebrate craftsmanship not as something static, but as something living and continually evolving.”
The initiative debuts with Traces by the Beirut-based ceramist Lina Shamma. The collection brings together the intuitive hand of Shamma and the geometric language of Debs, whose travels through Uzbekistan became the creative catalyst for this collection.
Created in dialogue with Debs, the collection unfolds as a series of matte vases and bowls carrying traces of Uzbekistan's architectural heritage. The decals applied to each surface originate from photographs Debs took of Islamic architecture, mosaics and arabesque tile work throughout Uzbekistan, images drawn from a tradition of symmetry and order, then deliberately scattered and repositioned off-grid. Hand-built or wheel-thrown, each piece is unique in shape and surface composition, revealing an interplay between geometry and gesture, tradition and innovation.
“Being part of the WA Collective felt like a natural extension of my conversations with [Debs]. Through this collection, I was able to explore the relationship between Debs' intricate geometric language and my own intuitive approach to ceramics, allowing the work to exist somewhere between discipline and spontaneity,” says Shamma.
WA Collective will continue to reveal a hand-picked selection of works by contemporary makers and designers from around the world that will be introduced through individual launches celebrating the narrative behind each collection. Through this evolving platform, Debs reinforces her commitment to craftsmanship, cultural discourse and the evolving role of the human hand in contemporary life.
Designer Nada Debs announces the launch of WA Collective, a new platform dedicated to contemporary craftsmanship, cultural exchange and collaboration, unveiled at the Nada Debs Boutique in Alserkal Avenue.
Conceived as a cross-cultural platform bringing together artisans and designers from around the world, WA Collective reflects Debs’ long-standing belief in craft as a universal language capable of connecting people. Meaning 'and' in Arabic and 'harmony' in Japanese, WA embodies a dialogue between creative voices, cultures and materials.
The collective functions as a curated gallery of handcrafted works that transcend discipline and scale, with each collection amplifying the unique voice and skillset of its maker. Based on ideas of duality, WA seeks to foster meaningful conversations around works of the hand while creating greater visibility for artisans and designers.
“The WA Collective was born from years of travel and encounters with artisans and designers whose practices carry stories of place, culture and identity,” says Debs. “Through this platform, I hope to create meaningful exchanges that celebrate craftsmanship not as something static, but as something living and continually evolving.”
The initiative debuts with Traces by the Beirut-based ceramist Lina Shamma. The collection brings together the intuitive hand of Shamma and the geometric language of Debs, whose travels through Uzbekistan became the creative catalyst for this collection.
Created in dialogue with Debs, the collection unfolds as a series of matte vases and bowls carrying traces of Uzbekistan's architectural heritage. The decals applied to each surface originate from photographs Debs took of Islamic architecture, mosaics and arabesque tile work throughout Uzbekistan, images drawn from a tradition of symmetry and order, then deliberately scattered and repositioned off-grid. Hand-built or wheel-thrown, each piece is unique in shape and surface composition, revealing an interplay between geometry and gesture, tradition and innovation.
“Being part of the WA Collective felt like a natural extension of my conversations with [Debs]. Through this collection, I was able to explore the relationship between Debs' intricate geometric language and my own intuitive approach to ceramics, allowing the work to exist somewhere between discipline and spontaneity,” says Shamma.
WA Collective will continue to reveal a hand-picked selection of works by contemporary makers and designers from around the world that will be introduced through individual launches celebrating the narrative behind each collection. Through this evolving platform, Debs reinforces her commitment to craftsmanship, cultural discourse and the evolving role of the human hand in contemporary life.
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