Where Creative Minds Meet

Bomma Dark and Bright Star, Dechem Studio Fata Morgana, Generous Studio & Hozan Zangana

Dubai Design Week makes its much-anticipated return this November with a special focus on Middle Eastern design

Breath of Light, Preciosa

Downtown Design Digital Fair 2020 Circadian Light Synthesis, Jalal Abuthina

Al Areesh collection, Aljoud Lootah

World Art Dubai welcomed the creative community in the Middle East and beyond when it opened its doors last month at Dubai World Trade Centre. Serving as the opening act for the events season in the city, the sixth edition set an example for international art events to safely operate in the emirate in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following in its footsteps, the highly acclaimed Dubai Design Week is set to make its eagerly-awaited comeback this month from November 9 to 14.

Offering a safe, al fresco setting in the emirate’s hub for all things creative – Dubai Design District (d3) – the 2020 edition of the festival features a diverse range of events, activities and experiences under the theme of redefining and reimagining the way we will live in the near and distant future. Visitors in attendance will be able to discover a series of installations, urban inventions, exhibitions and pop-ups.

Also, for the first time in the event’s history, the fair introduces new online elements, allowing the global art community to access a digital art fair and attend a series of virtual talks and panel discussions featuring leaders from the creative universe.

In another first, this year’s fair will see the launch of Dubai’s premier architecture festival. Curated by Juan Roldan, Associate Professor in the College of Architecture, Art & Design at the American University of Sharjah, the d3 Architecture Festival 2020 will take place in partnership with RIBA Gulf. The showcase will feature regional architectural projects under the theme ‘Identity, Context and Placemaking in the Gulf’, celebrating landmark achievements of architecture companies in the UAE and the wider GCC region.

Installation by Jawaher Alkhayyal

Dubai Design Week has cemented its position as the largest event of its kind in the creative world

Acacia, Roudha Alshamsi

A LASTING IMPACT

In a city brimming with programmes catering to established and emerging artists, Dubai Design Week has cemented its position as the largest event of its kind in the world. Over the last five years, the fair has served as a launchpad for creatives looking to make a name for themselves in the global art world.

Now in its sixth year, the event turns its focus closer to home in response to the current reality of travel restrictions and physical distancing. This year’s fair, therefore, aims to elevate the local art scene with a special focus on Middle Eastern talent. Programmes have been designed to offer new opportunities to homegrown artists looking for their big break.

Artwork by Lisa Stolz

PLENTY TO EXPLORE

Dubai Design Week’s 2020 edition will present a multitude of events for everyone, from the avid designer to the art lover, focussing on a variety of disciplines, including architecture, interiors, multimedia, product design and graphic design. With a packed schedule of exhibitions, commissioned installations, talks, tours and workshops, the event is forging forward to make Dubai the region’s design capital.

Staged throughout the open-air, pedestrian setting of d3, outdoor installations from this year’s show will respond to the challenges arising from the requirement of social distancing. International initiatives will share insight into the creative community’s response to issues caused by the pandemic. Key displays will highlight the importance of wearing face masks, the impact of global lockdowns and the ever-growing need for clean sources of food and water within impoverished communities.

Panel discussions taking place during the event will dive into the emerging alternative structures and solutions that designers and creatives can adapt to and learn from in order to navigate new realities. Talks led by industry experts will also explore how societies, economies and industries are reeling from the impact of the crisis, with a special focus on the realm of art and design.

A regular highlight of the annual fair, workshops and masterclasses will be conducted as usual during the event, with the organisers working tirelessly behind the scenes to provide a safe learning space for everyone in attendance.

Sessions will be hosted exclusively by independent designers, creators and small businesses from the UAE in varying formats, including physical sessions with small gatherings on site at d3.

Creative enthusiasts of all ages and levels of experience are encouraged to attend as participants will have the opportunity to develop and enhance practical and creative design skills through making and exploring.

HousEmotion, Tamanlioglu Architects

Earth Hives, Latifa Saeed & Talin Hazbar

Dubai Design Week 2020

Artistic screens Dubai Design District, Amir Dakkak

2020 fair highlights

MENA GRAD SHOW As well as supporting creative careers, Dubai Design Week also looks to the future with its Global Grad Show, which spotlights the next generation of innovators working towards a better planet. Leveraging the established platform, the 2020 edition of the fair introduces the MENA Grad Show – an exhibition of the best social impact innovation projects in the region, spanning the fields of science, design and technology. This year, the initiative received over 200 submissions from more than 35 universities in the Middle East and North Africa.

DOWNTOWN DESIGN In light of the pandemic, Downtown Design 2020 will take on a hybrid format, bringing the community together across physical and digital platforms. Spotlighting progressive design thinking, Downtown Design’s multimedia exhibition is titled ‘The Shape of Things to Come’. The showcase will feature conceptual work by the region’s architects and interior designers as they imagine our interactions with the environment and each other in the future, and also explore how we will live, work and play in a post-pandemic landscape.

ABWAB Translated as ‘doors’ in Arabic, Abwab is an annually remodelled exhibition dedicated to work commissioned from across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. For this year’s edition, Dubai Design Week has commissioned a singular landmark pavilion known as ‘Fata Morgana’ by Iraqi designer Hozan Zangana. Focusing on the framework of a modern-day city, Abwab 2020 features pillars symbolic for each of the seven emirates. The showcase addresses the ever-changing relationship between city dwellers and the public realm. The concept naturally incorporates social distancing, enabling visitors to have a safe experience while exploring this creative space.

URBAN COMMISSIONS 2020 For the 2020 edition of the event, regional architects and designers were tasked with creating an innovative, multipurpose retail unit for a new outdoor market experience. The winning proposal titled ‘Basta’, created by emerging Emirati and Saudi architects Reema Almheiri and Lujain Alatiq, will be unveiled at the venue’s new pop-up market.

UAE DESIGNER EXHIBITION Offering designers a platform to strengthen their audience base and professional network in the community, Dubai Design Week will see emerging designers across an array of disciplines presenting their projects and ideas. Works on display will range from home accessories and jewellery to furniture as well as subjects of sustainability, material experimentation and craft innovation.

THE DUBAI DESIGN WEEK MARKETPLACE A new, outdoor retail initiative, the Dubai Design Week Marketplace will bring together more than 60 of the best of Dubai’s artisans, creatives, entrepreneurs, small businesses and food scene. These vendors will provide a unique retail offering to visitors with locally sourced and handcrafted products across fashion, jewellery, homeware, beauty, lifestyle and food.

For more information dubaidesignweek.ae