BASE39 Creative Accelerator Gallery Showcase (15/09/26)

0:00This is Pulse 95. You're listening to the Morning Majilist podcast. Pulse 95. Between local lines, notes from the Emirator. Welcome back onto the morning measures. Well, yesterday I was actually over at the Charger Research Technology and Innovation Park last night. And they were celebrating the first edition of the Creativity Accelerators Program, which is part of base 39. It is being developed as an kind of this ecosystem to support innovators and creatives, particularly in the world of design. So it's not just about encouraging people to come up with creative ideas and leave it there. No, the bigger goal is to basically take those ideas and then turn them into like practical solutions that can actually support the national industry, especially when it comes to industrial and engineering design. What's also interesting is who is involved. You know, the program is bringing together students, designers, academics with partnerships involving universities and colleges in Charger, including the American University of Charger and also the University of Charger.

1:13So you have students coming in with their fresh ideas. You have academics bringing research and expertise. And you have also designers who understand just how to turn concepts into something practical. So when you kind of put all these groups together, you can get kind of this much stronger exchange of knowledge, you know, because sometimes a great idea is there, but the person behind it may not know how to develop it, where to start, where to go, how to test it, and most importantly, how to commercialize it or actually bring it into the market. So that's where programs like this can actually make a big, big difference. Base 39 is designed to create this, this great ecosystem not only by developing the skills of innovators and creatives, but also by attracting the specialized companies and showcasing the latest technologies and solutions and design. It's an incredible facility. I've been down there many a times and I have been, you know, kind of greeted with that word and that is creativity.

2:21You walk in and it's a facility and ecosystem that is really accommodating filmmakers, videographers, marketing teams, photographers. And one thing I learned that really stood out to me is that if you are a local business and you feel as though your marketing just isn't as good as it could be, you can actually go down to base 39 approach different creatives, approach different teams across marketing across photography or videography and work with them at a very, very affordable rate as well, because the creatives down at base 39 are also looking to expand their portfolio. It's so beneficial for both parties to have an ecosystem base 39 that is truly defining the word creativity. Absolutely. And yesterday, you know, it was pretty meaningful because it wasn't just a showcase. It was an opening and award ceremony as well, awarding those designers as well. Before we get to hear from one of them actually, let's hear from actually the acting head cultural program, programs and events manager of base 39 design innovation ecosystem.

3:32Mr Ahmed Al Rashid talks with us more about it. Mr Ahmed, let's start with what we're seeing today. What's the story behind this showcase that we're seeing and what does it really mean for base 39 to be celebrating? It's the very first creative accelerator cohort. Well, thanks very much for the invitation. Thank you for accepting the invitation to be with us today. This is base 39 is all about community and it's a support from the ecosystem and everyone from charger is really, it means a lot to us. Base 39 is design is charges next or current design innovation ecosystem. What we create, we create a community based on research and development within the design industry. Design industry, everything textile, product design, fabrication, prototyping within the industry, in the creative industry, be it's music, building architecture and you name it. I think what we do is different than anything you see in the industry is that we really incubate the best of talent based on the UAE.

4:33Many are based in charge because we truly believe that the talent that we, we, the freshly graduate of businesses at the American University of Charge, University of Charge. And this is really all representation of a grand visionary of her highness, Sheikh Abdul Mitzalpan Al Qasim. And the, the, the stakeholders at Charge Research and Technology Park. And we are a small, small creative arm. What you see today is the results of two months accelerator program design accelerator program. The first one is about furniture, 14 promising talents, three of them was one today, a prize to prototype and produce their furniture. But what we do at this CVP program is create a venture program is we offer a new format for designers, which is finding talents, creating an adult program for them. And that program becomes a prototyping product. And that products we work behind closed door to create a commercial appetite and a commercial demand for it all the way to producing it become a standalone successful business.

5:44And it's, that's what we call an ecosystem and a community is really we work all together to build something, become an industry city like Charge and from Charge to the world actually. No, that's incredible. And you personally, you've been closely involved with this whole program, you know, when, when these designers first come in, what were they really working with and how much have you seen their ideas evolved by the time that we get to this showcase today? It's a great question. Because when they arrived, they were of course full of confidence and passion and talent. We met them. At the beginning, they were overwhelmed. Yeah. Because, you know, it's, it's finding talent is, is not difficult, but finding the talent that they are ready to learn and grow. You know, if you stop growing, this is where you stop being innovative, being successful. And we believe that what we did with these 14 and part participants, they came with a great idea, but you know, it's one product. But what we show them is that now you get your hand dirty. Now you meet partners that have been in the business for 20, 30 years.

6:46And the way they see their product completely became completely different. Evolved. Evolved in a way that you cannot imagine. And this is where the second phase of being extremely happy and proud. We were so proud of them. And the difference was maturity. Yeah. But they were already, they were already dreamers and became dreamers with, do it. And we hear a lot about the word design and innovation. We hear it quite a lot. But what does that actually mean in everyday life? How can design go beyond looking good and genuinely solve problems for people? Another great question. So today we, there's everyday, there's a new tool. We live in a world where, you know, between AI and the amount of bunches of information that we have, we have so many resources. So the first thing I would say innovation comes from curiosity, right? Yes, you can learn in a great school or even, you know, an average school.

7:49But without your curiosity, you cannot innovate. And innovation means what? It's finding new ideas, new finding ideas that you know and thought about. Or you're using the information you have to add something. And this is what we believe in, Charger. It's really, we have an ecosystem that gives all the resources and the experiences to take that innovative, how can I say, that curiosity, but also create that curiosity. And not everyone is the same, but we can really spot the ones that they really want to grow. And, you know, for someone listening right now who has a creative idea, but kind of keeps thinking, okay, I'm not ready yet. What would you say to them? What do you actually need to have before taking that first step? First of all, never say it's not the right time. Never in the creative industry or any industry. Never say you're not ready. Just if you are equipped with talent, with that talent, from passions, with passion comes knowledge. With that knowledge comes a lot of doors that you have to try.

8:52Of course, you can, if everyone can be successful, it wouldn't be here. But we are here to support ideas. So if you have an idea, use all the tools. I always say, you know, from my generation, with my imagination, went to library to find information. Now, with your phone, yes, you can take a picture and scroll, but find sources, meet people. Meet same-minded people. If you meet with people that they will tell you, oh, I don't know, it's not the right time, then you will continue. That lack of energy. Right? But surround yourself with resources, information, curiosity. Never get all of your ideas and come meet as a best at 39 if you have a great idea. Absolutely. And lastly, after today's celebration, we celebrated those innovators. What happens next? Next one of them is already going with us to another program that we're creating. We're creating a new program with our partner in Doha, it's called TROM. They already did a program of inspiring collection, furniture collection that they really, that they launched in Milan Design Week. And we will do the same program, but inspired by Sharja. So one of them is actually going to with us to this program.

9:54And Shalana XCD will see us in Milan Design Week, the biggest design week event on the planet. That's part. But all the others, that's very part actually. Yeah, there's a lot of work. But the three winners, they already had a cash prize. So they will be also working with our prototype team at Soyla, which is part also of the park. And the rest, we gave them all the tools. Now they have to find, you know, they have to work as well hard. But definitely this is our first program. And this is a continuous one. Mixed one in Shalana, we work with finding innovations within the textile world, edible world. It's just the beginning. This is the first event. Yes, absolutely. So rather than, you know, creativity simply being about art or maybe aesthetics, this program is really looking at design as a great tool for solving real problems. And that's what I think that's the key takeaway from from this, whether that's an engineering, whether that's in manufacturing or other parts of the economy. And if that kind of connection between education, creativity and industry continues to grow, it could also give those young designers and innovators in charge of more opportunities to work on projects that do have a direct impact beyond the classroom.

11:10So yes, creativity accelerators. It's about taking creative talent, giving the right environment, connecting it with knowledge industry as well. And of course, seeing what kind of solutions can come out of that. But yesterday, as I mentioned earlier, we were also celebrating the award ceremony award ceremony awarding those designers. One of those designers that was awarded happens to be Mr. Andy Cactiere. Very strong last name by the way. I know. Cactiere. Andy Cactiere. And I loved his accent, by the way, French accent. Yeah, he happens to be the designer and founder of Numou, Numou, which means growth in Arabic. So yeah, this is the conversation that I had with Andy. Well, first of all, congratulations, Andy. If you can take us back to the beginning, what was the idea that you came into base 39 with and where did that idea actually come from?

12:10The beginning of the project was actually something that I did a couple of years before I was a development of a proposal that I did with two partners, Dalia Hamati and Mathiam Ries. We started to look at what would be the new interpretation of the Meshrabia pattern with two of us from the team being European. We started to look into how they actually work on the Meshrabia pattern in the past. So getting actually different types of flowers, different types of animals as basically ornaments and transform them into Meshrabia pattern. We decided to do it with this new material that we've been working on for a long time. And we inspired by the root system of mushroom underground and tried to translate it into a new pattern. So I started to enter with that idea into base 39 and made it like a very simple. That was a floorland with four straight flat panels and wooden corners, which I was entering with it, but I was not convinced with the design. So this is why I'm actually very happy where this lead actually afterward thanks to the accelerator. And when you did start the accelerator, did you already have like, let's say, a clear vision of what you wanted to create or did the program completely change the direction of your idea or some details in your idea?

13:17I had the technical aspect dealt with. So I knew already how I was going to produce it. I knew already like my job is to produce the material and work with it for a long time. So I was, I had this part like figured out, but actually the accelerator allowed me to rethink the design and just as I sometimes can be too much into all the material is so interesting. But I kind of put everything onto the material and I refined the design. The accelerator brought me ideas and like the time to actually rethink the design and go to something that was actually like. So I was not liking the first object that I presented and I come up with, oh, this is actually something that I want to see now coming up as a real object. So that was the whole process and the simplifying actually the, let's say the process and simplifying the result to really convey the idea of the pattern, the new mushroom interpretation that we have basically. And Andy, what was the biggest challenge that you faced along the way? Was there like a moment where you thought this is not going to work? And if so, how did you actually get past it? The something very stupid for a designer, the mold, the mold making up, the mold, how I'm going to actually produce that thing.

14:22It seemed like when I had the idea, it's so simple as like, I'm just going to 3D printed and I also increased the scale of the lamp over the course of the development. Because I wanted to be more massive, more of a statement and I started to forget a couple of technical issues I was going to have. So actually I spent quite some time on my 3D software to try to figure this out. And one from the expert also gave me a couple of tips of how to look at the problem differently instead of making traditional mold. Can I think of different ways? So I'm actually currently still working on the mold for the scale that I'm looking at. So it's coming up slowly, but this was one of the biggest issues that I got to fix, let's say. And what did you learn through the mentorship and working with people from the industry that you don't think you would actually have learned by working on the projects by yourself for a loan? So first thing on a general aspect, the fact that I'm used to work a lot alone. So I think just the fact that you're actually having to present, to just to get to engage into discussion with other types of creatives was also like a big plus for me compared to the rest of the years of my career.

15:26So I think what they brought is, like I said, I'm a technical designer working with the same materials for years. So I might sometimes be too much drawn into the technical aspect, how I'm going to produce it, where they got me back into the design excitement of, okay, but actually a concept can change. And that's something, if I can rephrase it, there's something I used to have learned 10 years ago in school. It's the fact of killing your darling. So sometimes you're too much into one idea and you have actually to kill it and go for something else. And having external stimulation made it much easier. So I think this is what they brought me mostly. And Dina, for someone who's listening right now to you who has a creative idea but is still sitting on it, maybe because they're afraid that it will not work, maybe. What would you tell them from your own experience? Do it. So the easiest thing is to do. So there is nothing that comes up perfectly in the first shot. Good designs, good ideas, that everyone can have a good ideas, but everything is into execution. So none of the good design or even the best design of the word were first iteration. It was always the fruit of long time of iteration of working, checking details, testing.

16:31So I would say even if you're scared to do something, just try even the smallest scale, smallest scale possible, as easy as that's possible. But the only secret is to try, is to do things. And it will only stay an idea if it's in your brain. It's just by being materialized, it becomes more realistic and can be actually improved. This is Pulse 95, tune in live every weekday from 7am.