Italian designer Massimo Faion has created a set of bespoke falconry stands for a live performance at this year's Design Days Dubai fair.
Created for Middle East design gallery Carwan Gallery, the Posa Project aims to put a contemporary slant on the ancient tradition of falconry, which involves hunting using a trained bird of prey.
Falconry was listed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012 in several countries including the United Arab Emirates, where the designs will be presented.
Following research into the customs, practices and tools surrounding the discipline, Massimo Faion created four collectible perches for the birds to rest on when they return to their trainers.
Three of the pieces are formed from steam-bent beech wood, shaped into circular forms in the same factory where furniture brand Thonet developed its products.
Rope is wound around the top sections of the curved beech to provide extra grip for sharp talons.
The wooden elements are braced with a series of solid brass bars – added to prevent the birds from flying through the centre.
These are plated in different metals including pure gold, pink gold and silver by Milanese silverware specialist De Vecchi.
"The result is a sculptural and elegant object that flows with the ergonomic demands of the raptors," said a statement from Carwan Gallery.
Turned and hand-finished Italian marble bases in different colours support the vertical poles, which are removable so the perches can be placed directly into the ground.
One of the designs has a flat, bristled surface to cater for desert falcons, while the arboreal birds prefer to rest on more branch-like wooden supports.
"The collectible falcon perch is a cultural hybrid, a decorative object with pure lines and noble materials, a reminiscence of medieval practices meeting contemporary Middle Eastern practices with the know-how of Italian craftsmanship," added the gallery.
The perches will be installed for a live falconry performance during Design Days Dubai 2015, which will take place at The Venue – beside the Burj Khalifa skyscraper – from 16 to 20 March.