Emirati Youth & Art Careers: A Conversation on Product Design
By: Dhabia Km
Tags: Uae, Careers, Youth, Education, Product Design

In this interview, we talk with Salman Rouhani, a passionate young Emirati student pursuing a career in Luxury Product Design.

What’s your name?

Salman Rouhani

How old are you?

22

What is your current occupation?

I am currently a Masters Student. I’m pursuing a Masters of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Design for luxury and craftsmanship at écal University in Lausanne Switzerland.

Which undergraduate university did you go to and why did you choose to attend it specifically?

I went to NYU Abu Dhabi. I chose NYUAD due to the standard of education that is offered and the state-of-the-art facilities that the place boasted.

I was able to use the woodworking and joinery studio to learn and develop my carpentry skills, as well as the opportunity to work on several projects during my undergrad years.

What were your fields of study at NYUAD?

I graduated with a double major in Psychology and ‘Art & Art History’. I also have a minor in design.As I mentioned previously, I am currently doing my masters in Design for luxury and craftsmanship.

Why did you choose this specific path, what built up towards the decision? Were you always set on the arts or did you have a few other options you explored which solidified your decisions? If so, what paths did you pivot from?

My parents always told me that I may pursue any career path that I felt inclined to. They did, however, set two conditions. The first was to work the hardest to be the best that I can be in the field that I choose to pursue. The second was to make sure that my work is of benefit and service to society and humanity.

That being said, an individual is often a product of both nature and nurture. My father is an architect, his father was a carpenter, my maternal grandfather was in the field of construction. And so, you could say that working with my hands and/or in the field of design is what I grew up witnessing and learning.

Aside from that, as a child, whenever we would travel during the summer holidays, my father would insist on showing us all the beautiful architecture, while my mother would take us to the art museums. This heavily influenced the way I would grow up to see the world around me.

I loved learning about how things were made, how they function and the reason behind the materials and mediums used in their creation

Tell us more about your major and studies. What did they entail? How did you generally find the workload?

During my undergraduate studies, my hands were full due to the fact that I was working towards a double major and a minor. Every class that I took had to contribute to fulfilling the requirements for my majors and minor. Despite the stress of a double major, I truly enjoyed the topics I had chosen, no matter how difficult or challenging they were.

My psychology major required me to learn about a plethora of topics, from advanced statistical analysis and abnormal psychology, to topics such as perception and cognition. There was a lot to memorize and many concepts to wrap my head around. We even had to consider philosophical topics when we looked at cognitive psychology. We also learned a lot of Greek and Latin when it came to biopsychology.

The workload was heavy, nevertheless it was rewarding and helped shape the way I think and view the world.

My art and art history classes allowed me to shift gears and focus on creativity and introspection. I took classes which included photography, sculpture, and woodworking, as well as art history class where I got to dive deeper into the philosophy of art and art movements.

Each major required a great amount of time, effort and organization.

Both psychology and art taught me more about myself and led to a great deal of introspection, albeit through different lenses and perspectives.

My design minor allowed me to take what I learnt in both psychology and art and explore how they interact with one another to create objects that bring joy to the user, through the user’s haptic and optic interactions.

Since you just graduated this past spring, let’s talk about your final project!

Take us through the initial idea behind your Capstone project. What inspired it?

The initial idea behind my capstone project was to develop a design language and identity that utilizes the craftsmanship and heritage of the UAE, as well as makes use of modern design principles.

When an individual thinks of German, Danish, Italian or Swiss design there is a particular design style and language that is associated with these countries.

The hope is to slowly develop an Emirati design style that is associated with the heritage and craftsmanship of the UAE rather than simply draping something with gold and vaguely Middle Eastern patterns. I had built a few speaker systems before during my time at NYU, so I decided I was going to build another one. This time, however, I would make sure that it would be of the highest possible quality that I could produce. The aim was to create a hi-fidelity speaker that is developed from extensive research on the heritage of the UAE.

After a meeting with Dr. Robert Parthesius I decided to use the craftsmanship and materials used in the traditional craft of Dhow building. I visited Dalma Island which has been inhabited for thousands of years and had been used as a fresh water stop for pearl divers and traders from the entire gulf. There, I got first hand experience and exposure to the history, as well as traditional dhow builders themselves in order to gain a better understanding of the culture.

Tell us more about the craftsmanship/techniques you had to master and practice in order to achieve the results you wanted.

I worked with the helpful faculty at NYUAD including Dustin Foster, Jonathan Bonner and Dan Osleeb. All of whom had taught me a lot about craftsmanship and manufacturing. They Taught me about joinery and the basics of working with hand tools, which greatly helped me when I had to work on my own in the factory for my capstone project.

Esteban Salvemini was key when it came to creating prototypes of all sorts. Through him, I learnt the ways in which a product designer should plan projects. Projects should be developing using both CAD prototypes and physical prototypes in order to reduce mistakes during the final working prototype. He also introduced me to the costs and labor required for manufacturing.

My carpentry apprenticeship the summer before also helped me lay down the foundation of woodworking skills which I developed further with Dan Osleeb. I think the biggest surprise came when I learnt about the mediation and mindfulness that blossomed from such craftsmanship.

Take the example of creating a dovetail joint. Osleeb instilled me the idea that such things take patience, every movement made with the chisel must be made with complete awareness of what you want the end result to be. Therefore there must be complete mindfulness with every wood shaving that you chisel off.

How did the pandemic affect/redirect your work? Did it bring along any new idea that impacted your original capstone plans?Were there any sacrifices made or was your project for the most part unaffected?

As a result of the pandemic I was no longer able to work on my project at NYU in Abu Dhabi which is completely understandable as the university was trying to follow the safety protocols. I had to take all the timber that NYU had provided me and look for a new place to work on my project.

Thankfully I was able to return to the factory where I had done my apprenticeship the year before. This enabled me to complete one of the two speakers before the factory also had to close due to pandemic safety regulations.Whilst at the factory, I faced a steep learning curve almost entirely on my own as I had not done a woodworking project of this skill level before. I managed to put in over 100 hours into the project at the factory during the summer.

It was tiring but it was utterly enjoyable. Every new day meant facing a new challenge that I had to work on and overcome. The cognitive stimulation from that kind of hands-on problem solving, to me, is unmatched. Having the opportunity to build the end product myself allowed me to gain better understanding of what to expect from craftsmen, what the manufacturing process involves and the challenges one faces in the manufacturing stage.

I am now able to appreciate and understand the materials I was using, why I was using them and how to better interact with them moving forward.

What are some of the influences, whether cultural/environmental or personal that affect your work and the way you approach product Design?

My country is where I draw most of my inspiration for product design, and this relays on my affinity for its land and people as a whole. I am lucky to be born in the UAE, a country of tolerance and respect for all individuals and religions and this is in alignment with what I believe in as a Baha’i.

I believe that the reason for this is because Emirati heritage has founded in the virtues of tolerance and unity, and interaction of individuals from a multitude of backgrounds. People often understand that at their core, all religions fall back onto the same principles; moral virtues that are conducive to the peaceful development of material and spiritual qualities of the individual and humankind. Once this is understood, an individual is able to be in complete harmony with all those who cross his or her path, learning from one another in contributing to the betterment of humanity.

Who are some of your influences in the design/art world?

As mentioned earlier my parents and grandparents have had a tremendous impact on my work. Aside from them there are a few other designers I would love to highlight:

Tadao Ando, who has been able to use his culture and heritage to create some of the most stunning architectural work I have ever seen.

Charles and Ray Eames. The couple created works that were symbolic and enforced the idea that the equality of men and women is not only possible, but also fruitful for society.

Naoto Fukasawa, who has been able to create some of the most emotive and engaging products out there.

Above all of the aforementioned people, the traditional craftsmen and craftswomen of the UAE are key motivators and are major influences on the work I produce.

What do you think of the statement that “design is not art because it serves a practical goal, not a thought provoking one”? (Age old debate, but since you are a person who designs products, it would be interesting to hear what you make of it.)

This is a very difficult question to answer. My personal opinion and understanding are that art and design are two separate fields but they have many intersections. Both design and art serve purpose. As you stated, art tries to provoke ideas and create reflection, and design does indeed serve a practical goal. However, that is not to say that art does not serve a practical purpose in society.

Art has been the medium for expression of the state of humanity, be it religious, philosophical or personal and emotional. I look at design the same way I think of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian man. One of the goals of the Vitruvian man was to demonstrate the two potential states of a human being.(As well as circling the square and demonstrating the human body as the basis of perfect proportion, a concept put forward by Vitruvius in ancient Rome.)

At the time, it was believed that the circle was the perfect shape. If you take a look at the Vitruvian man you find a man in two positions. His fingers touching the circle, as well as the square. This symbolized the ability for man to give into his animalistic desires (the square), or to be noble and work towards perfection (the circle).

To me, design similarly has the ability to be a means to an end without much thought as to how the user interacts with it, or design can be perfectly functional whilst bringing positivity and enjoyment to the individual who uses it.

A product can be a reflection of the society in which it is created.

I suppose what I mean to say is that to me design is art.

Do you have any upcoming projects you would like to talk about?

I have been working on a pen with a form that is based on the sport of freediving which, in the UAE, has become popular because of the connection that freediving has to pearl diving.

I have completed the design stage for this project however I will be postponing the manufacturing until after my master’s degree.

What would be your dream job?

My dream job would be an environment in which I would be able to work with fellow designers, craftsmen and craftswomen who are truly passionate about their work.

I guess the question now is, why luxury product design?

At its core, Luxury design is not about the price of the object. It is about the attention to details, materials and the craftsmanship. It allows for interaction between history and modernity, it is a lens through which we can interrogate and experiment with traditional craft and modern tools. To me, a product is considered luxurious when, among other things, it represents time. What I mean by this is the following:

The hours and days that it took for a skilled craftsman to create a product from high quality materials.

The years of practice it took for him or her to master their craft.

The hundreds and sometimes thousands of years that it has taken for humans to cultivate that particular craft. Passing down their knowledge generation by generation to this very day, where we find its results in modern luxury products.

Have you done any internships or had any opportunities you would like to highlight?

I have done a few internships, and I encourage others to try their best and apply to as many opportunities they can find. Some of those include Apple, Fikra, the Apprenticeship I mentioned earlier in this interview and I was also given a chance to with a team for Lockheed Martin.

Where do you see yourself progressing in the next few years? (grad school, apprenticeship, job, etc.)

As a part of the master’s program I am attending, every year the students have the opportunity to develop products for a variety of companies such as Hermès, Vacheron Constantin, Chopard and Aesop. I will also have the opportunity to develop a personal project. My goal is to design a watch that embodies specific aspects of the UAE’s Heritage.

Any words of advice you would like to give young Emirati men and women who might want to pursue product design?

Something I would like to tell Emirati men and women who wish to pursue any field is they must truly be passionate about what they do. They must always have humble posture, one that is indefinitely open to learning and to not look upon their field as work but rather to embrace it as an obsession. Your field of work should contribute to how you see the world around you. When you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life; and when an individual is able to have such a level of intrinsic motivation they will be able to consistently and perpetually give 110%.

Interviewee’s Biography:

Salman Rouhani is an Emirati product designer who specializes in designing luxury products with fine craftsmanship.

Stay up to date with Salman: https://www.instagram.com/salman_rouhani/

Website: www.salmanrouhani.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SalmanRouhani