’AN ARAB DESIGN RENAISSANCE’
Middle Eastern design talent shone bright at the fourth edition of Dubai Design Week
Dubai is well on track to realising its dream of becoming the design capital of the Middle East — as the recent edition, late last year, of its largest creative festival showed. In fact, Rawan Kashkoush, the head of programming at Dubai Design Week, called it an “Arab design renaissance” — and we couldn’t agree more.
Especially considering it was only the fourth year the event has been held, we were dazzled by the creativity on display. Here are some of the highlights.
DOWNTOWN EDITIONS
This new addition to the
Downtown Design trade fair featured bespoke and limitededition designs by individuals and major brands, mainly from the Middle East.
The award-winning architecture firm H+A designed the entire space around the theme of “Liveable Cities”. It included indoor landscapes, bespoke cafés and exciting activations on the waterfront terrace, among them Marc Ange’s reinterpretation of his prolific “Le Refuge” daybed; and the most incredible sculpture — “Aeon” by the talented David Harber — looming large against the backdrop of the city’s skyline overlooking the Dubai Creek.
downtowndesign.com
MINISTRY OF GRAPHIC DESIGN
This entirely fictitious government department was actually the theme for the first graphic-design biennial in the UAE, organised by the design-education platform Fikra. This carefully curated event consisted of works by an extensive group of designers and collectives from more than 20 countries, who exhibited over five floors in an iconic 1970s modernist building that used to be the Bank of Sharjah.
As Fikra founder Salem Al-Qassimi explained: “The biennial comprises of exhibitions, workshops, talks and a conference that collectively showcase an expanded view of the field of graphic design. It will question the very role of the graphic designer.
“This is perfect, especially for the first edition, as I would like to think of it as un-defining graphic design — challenging preconceived ideas of the discipline and providing an unexpectedly broad array of works, concepts and initiatives.”
fikrabiennial.com
‘It’s not only a showcase of ideas from the brightest young minds, it’s also a celebration of creativity and optimism’ BRENDAN MCGENTRICK Curator, Dubai Design Week
D3 AND ABWAB
Serving as the main stage for Dubai Design Week, the Dubai Design District (or simply D3) had various spaces showcasing a wide range of design projects as well as incredible, large-scale installations around every corner. The Circadian Light Synthesis installation by Anarchitect, serving as the key pedestrian entrance to D3, caught our attention. This beautiful structure was strategically placed to demonstrate and celebrate humans’ relationship with sunlight and moonlight, and their impact on our body clocks.
Abwab, after the Arabic for “doors”, was another astounding exhibition. These five pavilions at the centre of D3 are annually remodelled, serving as a platform for varying creative disciplines. The latest, designed by Dubai-based firm Architecture + Other Things, consisted of natural organic materials such as twigs and timber — a functional exhibition space as well as a sculptural installation.
dubaidesigndistrict.com; dubaidesignweek.com
JAMEEL ART CENTRE
A breath of fresh air in this incredibly fast-paced city, the Jameel Art Centre must be one of the most comprehensive and beautifully curated new spaces in the Middle East.
Designed by UK-based Serie Architects, this 10,000m² landmark situated on the Dubai Creek comprises 10 gallery spaces across three floors, a research centre and library, and a book and design store. It is one of the first independent contemporary art spaces in the country and is entirely dedicated to supporting artists and creative communities in the UAE.
The building’s design drew on regional architectural elements that entail the interweaving of indoors and outdoors, allowing for intimate and communal spaces. The seven courtyard desert gardens, by landscape architect Anouk Vogel, complement the building in a sensitive and considered way.
jameelartcentre.org
GLOBAL GRAD SHOW
Artificial pollination to save the diminishing bee population; a pen that can detect cancer cells; and super-hydrating jelly drops for dementia patients were just a few of the 150 life-altering inventions by students from over 100 design and technology universities from across the world.
This annual show is a highlight at Dubai Design Week. As curator Brendan McGentrick explained, it’s “not only a showcase of ideas from the brightest young minds around the world, it’s also a celebration of creativity and optimism“. Each of the projects, he explained, expressed “the hope of bettering humankind as a whole”.
One of our favourites was also the winner of the Inaugural Progress prize: Twenty, by Mirjam De Bruijn from Design Academy Eindhoven. Twenty is a range of dehydrated household-cleaning products, which eliminate the need to transport the other 80% water the average product contains. So, super-functional, sustainable and nifty.
globalgradshow.com