Art Wars Dubai Exhibit @ The Dubai Mall & MEFCC - featuring customized Star Wars Storm Trooper Helmets (March 20 - April 5.2014)
Scheduled to debut in The Dubai Mall, Bloomingdales Atrium tomorrow March 20th at 7pm is "Art Wars Dubai" - featuring 20 x customized Storm Trooper helmets (previously announced), curated by Mo Abedin, who himself will contribute "Pikachu" or "Everyone Loves to Cosplay" (above shown WIP)! As well we have a peek at William Navarro's #fullmetaljacket camo-engulfed "Born to Storm" (shown below), and check out the Stormtrooper death cards!
And from Vin Miranda we get to witness his intense WIP of a dioramic "Howling Castle"-vibe piece of art (seen above)! Really can't wait to see the finished piece, and as well the other custom works as well!
This event is supported by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and The Toy Store. The exhibit will take place in The Dubai Mall and then move into the Middle East Film and Comic Con, which happens between April 3rd to the 5th, 2014 @ The Dubai World Trade Centre. You really need to check out the MEFCC Facebook page to see what they have in store, and the guests they are bringing in! OhMyGosh, I Want To Go To There…
PRESS: "Art lovers and pop culture fans have a real treat lined up at this years’ Middle East Film & Comic Con with the ‘Art Wars Dubai' special exhibit commissioned for only the 2nd time globally as a part of Dubai Art Season 2014, the city’s umbrella arts initiative launched by the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirates dedicated Authority for culture, arts, and heritage.
Art Wars involves 20 UAE based artists applying their creative flair and individual styles to customise the classic Storm Trooper helmet made famous in the Star Wars films and as a pop culture icon ever since.
The original exhibit was created by Ben Moore as a charity project set up in aid of his missing brother Thomas Moore (www.missingtom.com) and the helmets were supplied by Andrew Ainsworth of Sheperton Design Studios, who has worked on over 70 feature films and was the original prop designer from the first film ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ in 1976.
“It’s an honour to be only the second venue in the world to feature the exhibit and to have the Damien Hirst piece for display and auction alongside our regional artists definitely makes it extra special,” commented Ben Caddy, Managing Director of the MEFCC. “We’re really excited to be a part of Dubai Art Season and this kind of initiative fits perfectly with what we’re trying to achieve in giving regional talent a strong platform and raising the profile of Dubai as a cultural hub.”
Sheperton Design Studio’s in the UK has been in the prop design business for over 40 years and has worked on more than 70 features films and specifically the Storm Trooper helmets being used are distributed exclusively in the Middle East by The Toy Store." (Source)
ADDED: "Ainsworth was not the original designer of the stormtrooper helmet! He only vacuformed them. Ralph McQuarrie designed the helmet and Liz Moore sculpted it." -mentioned Tim Jester.
