Days Hotel Deira Waterfront
The centrally located Days Hotel by Wyndham Hotels is located in the heart of Old Dubai just minutes from the Gold Souk, Dubai Creek, and the enlightening exhibits at Dubai Heritage Centre and Museum.
Client: Ithra
Industry: Hospitality
Year: 2021
Location: Deira, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Services: Design and Build
Featured artists: Tarek Shafagoi
Capsule Arts were appointed as Art Consultants by Ithra who are leading the Deira enrichment project, to curate and style a number of areas throughout the hotel with enhancing accessories, as well as design and produce feature artworks in the hotel's public areas.
Throughout each of the guest room floors are a series of six colorful artworks created by artist Tarek Shafagoi showing faces of women from different angles.
As the hotel is an urban property within Old Dubai, the idea was to inject an industrial feel to the artworks, once again complementing the interiors. Echoing the narrative, the artist used bold strokes of colours that represent aspects of old and urban Dubai, in addition to applying a grunge affect.
The Approach
Dubai has become a metaphor for urbanism with its growth from a dusty desert to a thriving city. We endeavored to reflect this journey throughout our artworks and accessory selections to form a curated package that blends tradition with contemporary urban design.
When gathering inspiration for the narrative of Days Hotel, we looked to both Dubai Creek's history with transportation vessels, as well as modern forms of transportation throughout the city. Dubai is the most populated city in the UAE, and a major transport hub for commuters with its primary forms of public transport being a mix of old and new with the metro, buses, taxis, and of course, dhows. Dhows have been used in the region for centuries and were key in developing thriving fishing, pearl diving and trade industries.
Through the exploration of the dhow, we took inspiration from the textures and forms of its raw building materials such as the felled trees and freshly cut planks, while looking to the industrial interiors of the hotel, we further delved into the mechanics of modern-day vehicles such as the urban metro rail lines and the UAE's modern roads.
The Outcome
The narrative translates into the art package through a selection of mediums. As guests arrive through the entrance lobby, they will be greeted by large sheikh portraits which were commissioned and created by artist Vijay Narayanan. The artist used watercolor to sketch the mixed media artworks on cream coloured paper in a vintage style, while incorporating architectural elements of Old Dubai. Framed with black wood, the concrete wall on which they hang shows through the frame, blending old and new, and speaking to the narrative of the hotel.
A curated selection of accessories are placed within various areas of the hotel and create a feeling of connection with materials such as stone, metal, and wood playing a key role. Taking inspiration from the narrative, these vases and abstract ornaments with flowing shapes, as well as accompanying table books, echo the theme of traditional transportation.
