reflecting the geographical narrative of the city, fernando mastrangelo debuts the capital collection’s trio of mirrors at downtown design as part of dubai design week 2019. the series continues the brookyln-based designer’s use of commonplace materials to act as cultural metaphors. although each piece is unique, they are united in their use of hand-dyed sand to add sculpturally-shaped elements on the objects. each one mirrors a different story of how dubai became an architectural oasis having merged from a sand-covered landscape.
all images courtesy of fernando mastrangelo, photo by benjamin hochfelder
‘an intrinsic part of my artistic process is interpreting the landscape, history, and essence of a unique region through my sculptural language,‘ explains fernando mastrangelo. ‘I’m incredibly humbled to have the opportunity with dubai and the capital collection. if the pieces capture or translate even a fraction of dubai’s intensity and beauty, I’d consider that a success.’
each mirror of fernando mastrangelo’s capital collection reflects a specific character that defines dubai. warm and rich in color, ‘sahara’ references the city’s famed, intense sun and sand. it appears as if a jewel, with its pure yellow sand drifting across its golden, highly polished mirror surface.
sahara
‘marina’ defines a distinct contrast between its two elements. as a homage to the city’s important waterways, the piece reflects the relationship between this water and dubai’s man-made cityscape. dark, hand-shaped terrain progressively encroaches across the deep, mesmerizing blue of the mirror.
marina
lastly, ‘aurora’ celebrates the unique, vibrancy of the sunsets seen in dubai. a clear mirror is intersected by a spectrum of white, pink and purple tones. the colorscape commands attention, evoking a sense of warmth and an ever-present fondness to the city’s beautiful nature.
aurora
product info:
designer: fernando mastrangelo
collection: the capital collection
pieces: sahara, marina and aurora
event: downtown design, dubai design week 2019
section: downtown editions
dates: november 12-15, 2019
