As the much-anticipated day gets closer, Van Cleef & Arpels reveals L’ECOLE’s public program that will take over its first Dubai campus. Besides the adult classes and children’s workshops, the school has developed a rich schedule of events and activities that are free and open to the public. From evening conversations to landmark exhibitions and complementary outdoor cinema, this will definitely be an immersive experience for all those who are interested in design, history, jewelry and contemporary culture.
The evening conversations invite you to discuss and discover jewelry and watchmaking with visiting experts and cultural institutions from the Gulf region. Besides all this, you will get the chance to attend jewelry exhibitions and watch films introduced by an art historian of L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels who will share educative insights on the historical background of the jewelry content.
Have we got you excited? Below is the detailed program.
The program of evening conversations includes:
Thursday 9 November: Through the eyes of a Connoisseur
Time: 06:30-08:00pm
Vincent Meylan, Editor in chief at Point de Vue
Catherine Cariou, Heritage Director of Van Cleef & Arpels
Friday 10 November: Emirati adornment, Transmission and Memories
Time: 06:30-08:00pm
Michele Bambling, Creative Director of Lest We Forget
Safiya Al Maskari, Project Coordinator at Lest We Forget
Gislain Aucremanne, Art Historian, specialist of antique jewelry history and Professor at L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels
In celebration of Traditional Emirati Jewelry, Van Cleef & Arpels invites guests of the evening to wear their heirloom jewelry and share their memories of such Emirati traditions. Whether tangible or intangible adornment, jewelry, precious items, perfumes, facial or body adornments; the culture of adornment will be discussed and honored.
Tuesday 14 November: Architecture and Jewelry
Time: 06:30-08:00pm
Janus Rostock, RIBA M. Arch MAA, Regional Design Director, Head of Architecture & Urban Design
Paul Paradis, Art Historian, specialist in decorative arts and Professor at L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels
Friday 17 November: Pearls, Past and Present
Time: 06:30-08:00pm
Noura Al Sayeh, Head of Architectural Affairs, Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities
Talal Mattar, 6th generation pearl merchant, from the Mattar family, one of the oldest pearl merchant families in Bahrain
Inezita Gay-Eckel, Art Historian, pearl expert, and Professor at L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels
Thursday 23 November: The Magic of Natural Pearl
Time: 06:30-08:00pm
Rashid bin Shabib, Brownbook, Curator of ‘L’Ecole in Dubai Pearls & Jewels of the Gulf’ exhibition
Olivier Segura, Director of the French gemological laboratory (LFG), natural pearl expert
Friday 24th November: From Rocks to Jewels – A Journey with Minerals
Time: 06:30-08:00pm
Eloïse Gaillou, Curator at the Mineralogy Museum MINES Paris Tech and of ‘L’Ecole in Dubai minerals exhibition’
Marie-Laure Cassius-Duranton, Gemologist, Art Historian and Professor at L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels
The exhibition program includes the following:
Through the Eyes of a Connoisseur
A selection of jewels created with passion and patience by a connoisseur, a jewelry lover and esthete from the Middle East. The selection gathers pieces from the Art Deco period to the present days created by famous French, Italian or American jewels but also unsigned.
Pearls & Jewels of the Gulf
A partnership between L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels and Cultural Engineering, celebrates an exhibit to invite visitors to explore the history, aesthetics, methods and authentic craftsmanship of pearl diving.
Emirati Adornment: Tangible & Intangible
Brought to the school in collaboration with the Lest We Forget Initiative, Emirati adornment presents a rich and fascinating exploration of our local identity, aesthetics and cultural life as conveyed through various modes of adornment. Whether through tangible forms of Emirati adornment such as garments, burqa, jewelry, attributes, accessories and footwear, or intangible forms such as henna, kohl, fragrance and cosmetics, as well as grooming, nail care and hairstyles.
Van Cleef & Arpels Emerging Designer Award
Last November, Van Cleef & Arpels and Tashkeel, in partnership with Design Days Dubai, called emerging designers from the GCC region to submit proposals in response to the theme of ‘Growth’. The aim of the Middle East Emergent Designer Prize is to nurture emerging talent across the GCC and create global awareness by highlighting the region’s best designs. The exhibition will showcase the shortlisted finalist’s prototypes, alongside the winner’s design piece.
Invitation to the Voyage: Travel with Minerals
An exhibit from the Minerology Museum MINES Paris Tech.
L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels and MINES Paris Tech present an exhibition around five cabinets of curiosity. Each cabinet invites visitors to travel through a different journey: matter, space, art, jewelry, and technology.
This mineralogical collection, preserved at the historic Vendôme Hotel for over two hundred years, is recognized as one of the most complete and spectacular mineralogical collections in the world. Today, it is comprised of around 100,000 samples, including 4,000 on exhibit, and over 2,900 species of minerals.
The films include:
Saturday 11th November: To Catch A Thief (1955) PG-13, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starts at 7pm.
Saturday 18th November: Cleopatra (1963) PG-13, starring Elizabeth Taylor, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, starts at 7pm.
Wednesday 22nd November: Joddha Akhbar (2008) PG-13, starring Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai and Sonu Sood, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, starts at 7pm.
