Dubai is keen to create a supportive environment for the world's brightest and most creative minds to come together and develop products and solutions that help shape a better and happier life for humanity, said Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority.
Speaking at the inauguration of the fifth edition of Dubai Design Week on Tuesday, she said the event is one of the key highlights of Dubai's vibrant cultural and creative landscape and contributes to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform the emirate into a global cultural hub and a centre for innovation in the region.
The week-long festival, held under the patronage of Sheikha Latifa, comprises of a wide range of exhibitions, installations, panel discussions and workshops, as well as city-wide events for design enthusiasts and the public.
With its main hub in d3, this year's programme focuses on regional designers, offering more opportunities than ever for visitors to directly engage with them, and foster a dialogue that reinforces Dubai's position as the region's creative capital.
"We are delighted that Dubai Design Week, the largest creative festival in the Middle East, has grown significantly from 350 international designers in 2015 to 560 this year, and from 70 UAE-based participants to 180, raising Dubai's global profile as an incubator for creative talent and innovation," she said.
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"We look forward to receiving visitors to this year's dynamic programme, which will engage people of all ages," Sheikha Latifa added.
Throughout the festival, the public is invited to enjoy what Dubai Design Week has to offer at d3. The weekend programme features a range of sights, sounds and experiences tailored to anyone and everyone interested in creativity.
Special workshops and activities for children are taking place across the weekend, including a Designathon for younger generations to come up with innovative solutions to real-world problems.
The Akiba Garden is hosting a series of activities including live street jazz and the Merchant & Makers Market will feature local makers and artisans selling original products.
A range of events will be taking place across the city. In Al Quoz, Alserkal Avenue is staging the exhibitions 'Is this Tomorrow' and 'Building Bauhaus'. Exclusive behind the scenes tours with the decision-makers and designers are offered at Al Shindagha Museum throughout the week in addition to the inaugural edition of the Sharjah Architecture Triennial.
At the heart of Dubai Design Week is Downtown Design, the leading fair for high-quality and original design in the Middle East. Country pavilions have also expanded to include France and Spain.
Downtown Editions is the fair's dedicated section for limited-edition and bespoke design with a spotlight on regional talent. Exhibiting designers include Kuwaiti Meshary AlNassar, with a new collection of sculptural marble lights, Sharjah-based Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council who is presenting pieces of traditional and modern crafts, and UAE-based Tashkeel who is showcasing the outcome of their 2019 Tanween Design Programme featuring designers: Abdalla Al Mulla, Lana El Samman and Yara Habib.
Another key attraction at Dubai Design Week is Madar, an educational exhibition supported by d3 and curated by Dubai Design Week Guest Curator, Ghassan Salameh, that shines light on the current emerging movements and initiatives in the design market of the region. The curated exhibition features work by regional designers and design experts based in the Middle East.
Global Grad Show, (November 12-16): Global Grad Show, the world's largest and most diverse gathering of universities, will return to Dubai from November 12-16. Free and open to the public during Dubai Design Week, the fifth edition of Global Grad Show showcases graduate projects from over 100 universities from 43 countries, in the fields of design, science, technology and engineering.
This year, Global Grad Show also presents a conference, curated by Community Jameel, for industry professionals and academics, promoting knowledge exchange between institutions, titled "Innovating for Social Impact".
Translated as 'doors' in Arabic, Abwab is an architectural installation that offers a platform for design talent from across the Middle East. The designers selected from India, the Eastern Provinces of Saudi Arabia and Lebanon were challenged to recreate the local classrooms of their cultures through one common theme: "Ways of learning".
With a focus on design talent from the region, a series of site-specific installations are displayed within the Design Quarter of d3. These include: Umbra', an immersive gateway to Dubai Design Week at d3; 'Barjeel', inspired by the traditional wind towers of the UAE, composed from layers of reclaimed cardboard and strip lighting; 'The Maze' by Nyxo Visionary Design, which is an interface composed of modular panels.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
