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CELEBRATED designer Ayah Al Bitar is making a stand for Islam culture during the holy month … with a little sisterly assistance, writes Stan Szecowka.
She has unveiled a Quran Stand as the first product from a new collection under the umbrella of her design house, AYA The Art of Living, which creates original contemporary products and furniture.
“Thankfully the reaction to my work has been great and very exciting,” she told GulfWeekly. “I feel satisfied that my products are being put to great use and make a change in people’s lifestyles.”
The Quran Stand launched for this Ramadan will be the first in a new line called The Alef Collection which celebrates ‘heritage’ as well as adding ‘festive spirit’ to an educational innovation.
She said that it had been created thanks to an artistic ‘collaboration’ with her sister, Haya, and believes the stand allows people to connect with their identity whilst bringing art and functionality to everyday routines during the holy month.
Ayah was born and raised in Riyadh in neighbouring Saudi Arabia and studied industrial design at the US Parsons School of Design located in trendy Greenwich Village in New York City. “People are my main source of inspiration,” she said.
“The first product I launched was called Wisada - orthopedic floor seats, a redesign of the traditional floor seating that exists in our culture to make something healthier and more comfortable.”
It received positive reviews. The UAE’s National newspaper’s Selina Denman, for example, wrote: “Great design generally falls into two almost contradictory categories.
“There are pieces so groundbreaking and innovative, you can’t fathom how the human brain could have conceived them. At the other end of the spectrum, there are objects and ideas that so obviously fulfil a basic human need, it seems incredible that no one has thought of them sooner.
“Wisada, a collection of floor seats shaped like oversized bicycle saddles by the young Saudi Arabian designer Ayah Al Bitar, falls very firmly into the second category.”
The Quran Stand, priced at BD155, is made from wood and plaited fabric cord. Designed in line with Ayah’s core philosophy of functionality, it has been produced to provide comfort when reading the central religious text of Islam.
There is also a hidden shelf that can be used to place glasses or phones in order to ‘fully facilitate any pre-prayer processes’, she added. To add to Ayah’s genius design, the Quran Stand has been designed in line with The Sanctuary in order for the stand to be smartly placed over it.
Ayah added: “I truly believe in developing more unique and inspirational products that not only represent our traditions in a modern way but also create a solution to facilitate the life of Muslims and beyond in their daily routines. This is a very exciting project with many more products to come.”
Ayah, who has a showroom in Dubai, can be contacted by emailing info@ayahalbitar.com
