L’ÉCOLE: ‘Poetry of Birds’
L’ÉCOLE Middle East Celebrates the Art of Symbolism with “Poetry of Birds” During Dubai Design Week
Dubai Design Week continues to establish the emirate as a global crossroads for creativity, culture, and contemporary craftsmanship. This year, one of the most anticipated highlights was L’ÉCOLE Middle East, School of Jewellery Arts, unveiling ‘Poetry of Birds’, a deeply poetic exhibition that explores the timeless symbolism of birds across art, literature, and fine jewellery. Presented within Dubai Design District (d3), the showcase forms part of L’ÉCOLE’s ambitious international programme dedicated to the world of stones, launching in October 2025.
Van Cleef & Arpels, Swallow clip, 1927, Van Cleef & Arpels Collection
A Celebration of Symbolism Across Continents and Centuries
Poetry of Birds brings together an evocative selection of pieces that illuminate how birds have inspired makers, writers, and artists throughout history. Often associated with themes of freedom, hope, renewal, migration, and the human spirit, the bird motif has long been embedded in jewellery traditions across cultures.
“Birds have always held a universal resonance — symbols of travel, renewal, and the human spirit. With Poetry of Birds, we wanted to honour that tradition while showcasing how these symbols echo across time and continents through art, poetry, and jewellery. 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,” shared Marie-Laure Cassius-Dupont, President of L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewellery Arts.
Curated with L’ÉCOLE’s signature scholarly precision, the exhibition gently guides visitors through centuries of global creativity, revealing how jewellers have interpreted the delicacy of wings, the movement of flight, and the poetry of nature in precious materials. From historic masterpieces to contemporary works, the exhibition positions birds not simply as decorative motifs but as carriers of mythology, spirituality, and human experience.
SFaisal Alrais Houbara Bustard Feather, 2025. Courtesy of Faisal Alrais
Part of a Global Exploration: Stones at the Crossroads of Art and Science
Poetry of Birds forms a core chapter of L’ÉCOLE’s far-reaching international initiative, Stones: An Exquisite Journey at the Crossroads of Art and Science. Beginning in October 2025, this expansive programme will unfold across Paris, Dubai, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, offering an unparalleled look into the mineral world through exhibitions, workshops, talks, courses, publications, and digital content.
The initiative invites audiences, from curious beginners to seasoned gemologists, to rediscover stones through artistic, scientific, historical, and cultural lenses. Topics will range from gemology and lapidary techniques to the history of global trade routes, the evolution of taste and collecting, and the literary and artistic responses minerals have inspired across centuries.
Dubai, with its rich heritage as a trading port and its contemporary status as a design capital, serves as a fitting locale for this multidimensional cultural programme.
Van Cleef & Arpels, Eagle brooch, 1972, Van Cleef & Arpels Collection
A Global Calendar of Exhibitions
The international rollout will include a series of major exhibitions complementing Poetry of Birds:
Paris — Stones and Reveries: The Poetry and Minerals of Roger Caillois
6 November 2025 – 29 March 2026
Shanghai — Journey with Minerals
25 November 2025 – 29 March 2026
Hong Kong — A special programme dedicated to the diamond
18 November – 7 December 2025
Together, these exhibitions reinterpret the mineral universe through contemporary lenses — from scientific discovery to literary symbolism — reinforcing L’ÉCOLE’s role as a global educational force in jewellery arts.
Piel Frères, Belt buckle depicting a peacock feather, c. 1900, Cloisonné enamel on brass and glass, L’ECOLE, School of Jewellery Arts Collection
An Immersive Cultural Offering for Dubai Design Week
Within the context of Dubai Design Week, Poetry of Birds offered visitors a moment of reflection amid the city’s dynamic and future-facing creative landscape. The exhibition emphasised the emotional resonance of craft, the universality of natural motifs, and the narrative power of jewellery as a cultural artefact.
Its presence in d3 further highlighted the district’s role as a hub for artistic dialogue, bringing together designers, makers, thinkers, and collectors who continue to shape the region’s creative identity.
India, Mughal, Double-sided miniature entitled Youthful Shah Jahan out riding, with a portrait of a falconier
A New Chapter for L’ÉCOLE Middle East
With the opening of this exhibition in Dubai, L’ÉCOLE Middle East signals its commitment to expanding access to jewellery culture and knowledge across the region. Alongside the exhibition, audiences can expect ongoing talks, workshops, and educational initiatives that invite deeper engagement with the craft of jewellery-making and the stories embedded within gemstones.
Bridging cultural heritage, craftsmanship, and artistic expression, Poetry of Birds beautifully encapsulates L’ÉCOLE’s mission: to reveal the worlds of jewellery to the widest audience possible, while celebrating the profound human narratives that shape them.
