This November, the world of jewelry spreads its wings. L’ÉCOLE Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts — supported by Van Cleef & Arpels — will unveil Poetry of Birds during Dubai Design Week 2025, transforming its d3 space into an aviary of dreams.
Following celebrated runs in Paris and Tokyo, the exhibition lands in Dubai with a new lens — tracing the dialogue between 19th- and 20th-century Western jewelry and the poetic spirit of Islamic art. Think of it as a visual sonnet where falcons, nightingales, and phoenixes glitter in diamonds and verse.
On display: an extraordinary collection of jewels, gouaché drawings, and objets d’art from the world’s most storied maisons — Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Buccellati, Fabergé, Boivin, Marchak, JAR, and more. Alongside them, Middle Eastern treasures from the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization and Dubai Museums — intricate carpets, calligraphy, ceramics, and miniatures — form a conversation across centuries and continents.
There’s also a striking contemporary layer: Emirati artist Faisal Al Rais debuts a series of photographs capturing the fragile grandeur of birds in the wild, from the Middle East to the farthest skies.
Inspired by Farid al-Din Attar’s mystical Conference of the Birds, the exhibition unfolds like a poem — a journey through art, poetry, and craftsmanship that ends with the ethereal, imaginary birds of French jeweler Pierre Sterlé (1905–1978).
“Birds have long held a sacred place in the cultures of the Middle East — as symbols of freedom, renewal, and the human spirit,” says curator Marie-Laure Cassius-Duranton. “This exhibition is not just about beauty, but about the stories and meanings behind it — how the smallest motif can carry centuries of memory, emotion, and craftsmanship.”
Timed to coincide with Dubai Design Week (Nov 4–9), Poetry of Birds is one of the season’s key cultural events — where jewelry meets literature, calligraphy meets music, and ancient symbolism finds a contemporary voice.
“At L’ÉCOLE, we’re here to make the world of jewelry arts accessible to everyone,” says Sophie Claudel, Director of L’ÉCOLE Middle East. “Through Poetry of Birds, we’re celebrating the intersection of poetry, design, and craftsmanship — building bridges between heritage and modern creativity.”
A shimmering ode to storytelling, symbolism, and flight — Poetry of Birds is more than an exhibition. It’s an invitation to see the world through the eyes of the bird: free, observant, and infinitely inspired.
The Poetry of Birds
📍 L’ÉCOLE Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts — Building 10, Dubai Design District (d3)
🗓 November 6, 2025 – April 25, 2026
🕙 Tuesday to Saturday, 10am–7pm
🎟 Free admission (registration recommended)
🔗 Register here
In partnership with Dubai Design District (d3) and Dubai Cares
