Conference

ICOM Dubai 2025 General Conference, 11–17 November 2025

Museum of the Future, Dubai

We are pleased to announce that the Call for Papers section of the ICOM Dubai 2025 website is open: https://dubai2025.icom.museum/call-for-papers. 

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: JUNE 22, 2025!

Join ICOM–DESIGN for our 2025 Annual Meeting at the World Trade Centre, Dubai, during ICOM’s triennial General Conference, 11–17 November 2025. The overall theme of ICOM Dubai is “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities,” with three subthemes: “Intangible Heritage,” “Digital Technologies,” and “Youth Power.”

There will be three ICOM–DESIGN sessions held at the Dubai General Conference and one IC Day of site visits:

  1. A-10 (DESIGN (ICDAD), GLASS) - Adornment and Identity (12th November 2025, 1.5 hours)
  2. B-7 (or BC-7) (DESIGN (ICDAD), DEMHIST) - Adornment and Identity in Spatial Design and Objects (12th November 2025, 1.5 hours)
  3. C-7 (COSTUME, DESIGN (ICDAD)) - Adornment and Identity (13th November 2025, 1.5 hours)
  4. IC Day - Dubai’s Decorative Arts, Design, and Intangible Heritage (15th November 2025, all day)

You must apply separately for any session you wish to present in. If you apply for multiple sessions as a DESIGN member, you can only be accepted to one of the three sessions.

Conference Program

Themes of the three ICOM–DESIGN Sessions and the IC Day:
 
A-10 (DESIGN (ICDAD), GLASS) - Adornment and Identity (12th November 2025, 1.5 hours)
This joint session between GLASS and DESIGN (formerly ICDAD) invites papers that explore the art of adornment as a powerful expression of personal, social, and cultural identity in the decorative arts. From art objects crafted in glass and other mediums to the lavish details of interior décor and architectural design, this theme seeks to examine how embellishment not only serves to decorate but also to communicate belonging, status, beliefs, and heritage. How do practices of adornment define individual and collective identities? In what ways do these practices adapt or persist amid the shifting dynamics of globalization and cultural exchange?
 
Preference will be given to papers engaging with the three subthemes of the ICOM General Conference in Dubai—“intangible heritage,” “youth power,” and “new technologies”—which align with the overarching ICOM Dubai 2025 General Conference theme, “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities.”
 
How are traditional artistic techniques preserved as intangible heritage that connects communities to their past? What challenges arise in sustaining and transmitting artisanal skills and cultural knowledge in contemporary contexts? How does the creativity and energy of younger generations reinterpret and reinvigorate historic traditions to reflect evolving identities? What innovative roles do emerging technologies play in documenting, preserving, and reimagining the decorative arts to engage diverse audiences in museums today?
 
This theme invites a rich exploration of adornment in glass and other decorative arts as a lens for understanding identity, offering opportunities to uncover the narratives embedded in material culture and the ways they continue to shape personal and collective experiences in a rapidly changing world.

B-7 (or BC-7) (DESIGN (ICDAD), DEMHIST) - Adornment and Identity in Spatial Design and Objects (12th November 2025, 1.5 hours) 
This joint session will explore the role of adornment in museum architecture, collections, and display as a means of both self and social expression as well as cultural identification within domestic environments. It welcomes papers on house museums, decorative art objects, décor, ornament, design, and architecture.
 
The home is a place where personal expression, the formation of identity, and aesthetics collide. The site of some of the greatest debates about the role of design, houses are also expressions of their owners, their time periods, and their geographic location. House museums, period rooms, and museum objects produced for use in domestic environments remind us of the importance of the home, presenting interiors that reflect social standing, artistic movements, and evolving tastes. They often exhibit personal artifacts that show the individual preferences of their residents over time.
 
This collaborative session between DEMHIST and DESIGN (formerly ICDAD) allows for a broader discussion regarding how adornment shapes and reflects identity across a diversity of homes, daily lives, and societies.
 
Key discussion points for this joint session include these three subthemes of the Dubai 2025 General Conference:
1) Intangible Heritage: How do museums represent and educate the public about the artisanal skills of living craftspeople and artists, past and present, who contribute to domestic adornment? What challenges exist for house museums or museum installations of period rooms when artisanal traditions die out in the modern age. How are living artistic traditions associated with the domestic sphere used to activate museum collections and engage museum audiences?
2) Youth Power: How can museum engagement with younger generations connect audiences with historic forms of adornment? How have younger designers, architects, and craftspeople engaged with history in their work in the domestic sphere? How are young designers and artists today understanding the role of adornment in their designs for interior spaces? How can house museums promote contemporary interpretations by new generations of artists within apparently past styles of decoration?
3) New Technologies: Which digital and technological innovations allow museums to effectively document, preserve, and share narratives of adornment in relation to domestic environments? How can new technologies help us understand traditions of adornment through the study of homes long destroyed, or never built? How have social media and digital technologies been used to present domestic spaces and objects in museums.
 
By bringing together perspectives from DESIGN and DEMHIST, this session will highlight the intersections between personal heritage and material culture, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue on the role of adornment in domestic interiors, house museums, and beyond.
 
C-7 (COSTUME, DESIGN (ICDAD)) - Adornment and Identity (13th November 2025, 1.5 hours) 
This COSTUME and DESIGN (formerly ICDAD) joint session invites papers exploring adornment as an expression of personal, social, and cultural identity across diverse societies through textiles, jewelry, fashion or other mediums. How does bodily adornment not only beautify but also communicate belonging, status, beliefs, or heritage? How do practices of adornment define individual and collective identities? In what ways do these practices adapt or persist amid the shifting dynamics of globalization and cultural exchange?
Preference will be given to papers that also relate to “intangible heritage,” “youth power,” or “new technologies”—the three subthemes of the ICOM Dubai 2025. How are traditional artistic techniques of adornment preserved as intangible heritage that connects communities to their past? How does the creativity and energy of younger generations reinterpret and reinvigorate historic traditions to reflect evolving identities? What innovative roles do emerging technologies play in documenting, preserving, and reimagining adornment to engage diverse audiences in museums today?

 
IC Day Program – ICOM DESIGN (ICDAD) “Dubai’s Decorative Arts, Design, and Intangible Heritage”, 15 November 2025
For the ICOM Dubai International Committee Day, ICOM DESIGN (formerly ICDAD) is planning a day of site visits focused on traditional Emirati crafts and design, in line with our subtheme “Adornment and Identity.” Instead of holding additional sessions, we plan to offer immersive experiences of the region’s material culture through visits to museums, workshops, and heritage spaces.
 
The planned program of visits includes the Bayt Al Khanyar Museum (Emirati daggers) and the Coffee Museum in the Al Fahidi Neighborhood, the Al Shindagha Museum (Perfume House, Jewelry, Traditional Crafts, Archaeology, Historic Houses, and more), and the Turath Centre for Traditional Handicrafts. We will see not only objects representing Emirati decorative art and design traditions, but also demonstrations from professional artisans representing the intangible heritage of the UAE. We also hope to include shopping opportunities in the Old Souk, time permitting, and a delicious lunch of traditional Emirati food. An optional informal dinner for ICOM DESIGN members may follow the program.
 
All sites and events are subject to confirmation and may shift based on availability and logistics. Final details will be shared with registered attendees closer to the conference. Attendance will be limited, so secure your place now.

Please note that the Dubai website is organized as a CFP for scientific sessions on the IC Day. Since we are not holding such sessions, you do not need to include the following: Title of the abstract, Abstract, Supporting documents, or Co-authors/co-presenter information. Just write N/A in the form. Please do include a short biography of yourself.

How do I apply for Dubai?

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: JUNE 22, 2025!

You must apply separately for any session you wish to present in on this website. If you apply for multiple sessions as a DESIGN member, you can only be accepted to one of the three sessions.

All selected speakers will be notified and must confirm or decline their participation before end of July. Note: The Call for Papers period may be subject to adjustment based on unforeseen circumstances.
 
Information that will be requested about you when you apply on the website:
Title, First Name, Last Name, Email, Nationality (Nationality field is required), Direct Phone, Address, Street 1, ZipCode, City, State, Country, Your ICOM International Committee (--> DESIGN (formerly ICDAD)), Your Session for Abstract Submission (--> A-10, B-7, or C-7).

Information that will be requested about your paper application when you apply on the website:
Abstract Title, Abstract Content (Max. 300 words), About Me (max. 150 words; please provide a professional bio), Upload Supporting Document (optional; such as a photo of you, photo(s) from your presentation, or the published paper upon which your presentation is based. Max size: 10.48 MB), List Co-Author(s) if any. If your abstract proposal is selected, will you be the only presenter to the session?
 
Presentation length:
All papers will be limited to either 10 or 15 minutes for each session. This allows us to include participation by as many international colleagues as possible during this triennial general conference. Speakers who have been accepted will be informed of the presentation length before the conference.

Important Notes for Submitters:

  • Please verify that your email address (submitter and presenting author) is correct as it will be used for contacting you after the review process.
  • Abstract submitter and presenter are required to avoid any conflict of interest.
  • Ensure that all co-authors (if any) approve the abstract submission for potential presentation during the conference.
  • Presenters do not have any right to replace their abstract after their abstracts are accepted.
  • Your submission will be reviewed by the relevant International Committee. Please note that the final decision made by these Committees cannot be appealed, dispute, or negotiated.
  • The acceptance of a Call for Papers does not automatically grant conference attendance. All confirmed submitters, authors, and co-authors must register individually and secure their own funding for attendance, unless explicitly supported by one of the conference grant programs or if the session you are applying to, and/or  the relevant International Committee, can provide support.
  • You may submit proposals to only one session per time slot—i.e., Session A, Session B, Session C, or ICs Day. Please do not apply to more than one session scheduled at the same time.

General Information:

Proposals must be written in English, and participants will also be expected to give their presentations in English.

Please note: ICOM-DESIGN welcomes abstracts from museum professionals worldwide, members and non-members. However, all participants must be individual members (voting or non-voting) or representatives of institutional members of ICOM and ICOM-DESIGN at the time of the conference. Please check with your national committee of ICOM beforehand if you are eligible for membership.

Find more information about how to become a member of ICOM and ICOM-DESIGN here: https://icom.museum/en/get-involved/. 

If you are already a member of ICOM, please log in to the IRIS memberspace and choose ICOM-DESIGN as your primary International Committee: https://icom-museum.force.com/login

For questions about the CFP submission process and timing, please contact ICOMDubai2025@dwtc.com. For questions pertaining to the content of the sessions or the selection of speakers, you may contact secretary.design@icom.museum.

Save the Date: ICOM–DESIGN International Symposium and Post-Symposium Tour in Oslo, Norway, 28 October–1 November, 2025

Image courtesy of Nasjonalmuseet www.nasjonalmuseet.no/

In addition to its Annual Conference in Dubai, ICOM–DESIGN is also organizing a separate 2025 International Symposium on the theme of “Design Collection Displays Reassessed” at the new National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo (Nasjonalmuseet), 28–30 October, 2025. This program, organized by Nasjonalmuseet Senior Curator and ICOM–DESIGN board member Dr. Denise Hagströmer, will be followed by a special post-symposium tour to local destinations 30 October–1 November. Stay tuned for more information to come!

Information on application for Oslo will follow soon!

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