Hospitality Academy Les Roches
CLIENT NAME
LES ROCHES
main consultant
ROAR
When we collaborated with National Projects Offices on the Hospitality Academy Les Roches in Abu Dhabi, we aim to have the art pieces to subtly evoke the well known concept of hospitality in the Emirates: a tale made of simple details rooted in time, warm generosity, sophisticated conviviality and respect.
We selected a set of ceramic sculptures from Eman Al Hashemi, which mix architectonical structures with free forms and crushed coffee cups in a brick- like block. The travertine plinths are design to live in accordance with the lines of the iconic building from the 80s in Zayed City, where the prestigious Swiss school founds its middle eastern venue.
Textile artist Sarah Al Saman draws on the significance of the Emirati sadu pattern, reinterpreted through a contemporary lens. A soft gradient inspired by the meeting of sand and sky grounds the piece in its natural environment. At the center, the palm tree, an emblem of UAE heritage represents hospitality and generosity. The sun and moon complete the composition, symbolizing warmth and guidance, and reflecting the local values of welcoming guests.
NPO has design two graphic, linear murals, recalling the tradition of serving coffee and dates. We transformed the design in a subtle bas-relief onto two wall, with the support of Art Painting Lab team for the execution.
Closed rooms and offices are spaces for smaller framed art: Taqwa al Naqabi has taken the visual language of the bedouin grandmother into a silkscreen, preserving memories of her familiar life and land, that had a lot to do with domestic life and nature.
Asma Khoori’s material approach is fluid, beginning with acrylics and expanding to include symbolic, tactile elements, while used teabags transformed through time and use, represent memory’s changing nature.
