Vanessa Gate

British designer Vanessa Gate presents DateSkyn, a research-based project exploring how traditional Emirati Talli craftsmanship can inform the co-creation of regenerative biomaterials as sustainable alternatives to synthetic components used in the craft. Developed through a six-week collaboration with two Emirati artisans, the project produced two bio-khose materials derived from local date fruit waste streams, with the second iteration showing strong potential as a viable synthetic substitute.

Employing decolonial methodologies that positioned artisans as co-creators, DateSkyn revealed interconnected regenerative loops that strengthen environmental benefit, traditional knowledge, and community agency. The exhibition design translates these findings into an accessible visual narrative, illustrating the six-stage process from waste material to craft application and highlighting how material innovation can evolve traditional craftsmanship in a sustainable, culturally rooted way.