2016 dubai design week offers a global stage for local designers

dubai design week: returning for a second year, the 2016 dubai design week seeks to further establish itself as a thriving global design center. at the inaugural 2015 event, 23,000 worldwide visitors witnessed over 150 of the globe’s leading creative studios showcasing their latest innovations. the 2016 dubai design week is building upon this success with more than 100 different events and programs scheduled across the city and in the dubai design district (d3).

custot gallery dubai, arc x 9, in 2009

the dubai design week aspires to promote UAE-based design talent and celebrate the city’s innovative and forward-thinking approach. furthermore, it is dedicated in providing an international platform for these creatives and their work, with the overall aim being to improve life and society across the globe. the 2016 week, which runs from 24th to 29th october, hopes to further state dubai’s position as the design capital of the MENASA region (the middle east, north africa and south asia area), and designboom will be covering the best, most innovative and thought-provoking work at the event.

KOHLER’s marrakesh design

mohammad saeed al shehhi, chief operating officer of d3, says: ‘as strategic sponsors and hosts of dubai design week, d3 is committed to supporting the ongoing sustainable growth and development of dubai’s design industry by providing a diverse and exciting creative destination that inspires, engages and enables both established and emerging talent. dubai design week represents an important platform for showcasing both regional and international design talent to a global audience and helps place dubai as an innovative center for creativity.’

augustav’s book rack

cyril zammit, director of design at art dubai group says: ‘it was clear that dubai design week 2015 tapped into something that both dubai and the design industry had been waiting for – a global platform for design in the UAE and the middle east, and an opportunity to share and explore perspectives and ideas with people from a multitude of countries and cultures. this year, we want to build on that – dubai design week 2016 looks set to be an unmissable addition to the world’s design calendar.’

ETQAAN furniture collection

as a centerpiece of the dubai design week, downtown design which runs from 25th to 28th october, presents a mix of over 100 brands from 25 countries. marking its fourth edition, the event has broadcasted itself as a major and integral part at d3, presenting products that range across furniture, lighting, bathrooms, kitchens and textiles. a key feature of this event is the popular program ‘destination at downtown design’, which showcases emerging creative companies from addis adaba, barcelona, beirut, reykjavík and taipei.

ETQAAN’s open house, wooden carved console

rue kothari, fair director of downtown design said: ‘as the commercial gateway to the middle east, dubai is perfectly positioned to facilitate a profitable interaction between international brands and regional buyers. in the last three years, we’ve tripled our footprint, and demand for this year’s edition led to the fair being oversubscribed. balancing iconic names with ‘discovery’ brands and a developing an extensive buyers programme, downtown design is expanding its reach to become the ultimate forum for the design industry in the wider region to come together and do business.’

abwab: palestine’s mass imperfections structure

featuring for the second time at the 2016 dubai design week, the global grad show presents a unique exhibition from the world’s next generation of design talent. showcasing 135 projects of innovation, invention and futuristic technology, the participants of the program are from 50 of the globe’s leading universities, representing 30 countries across six continents. this truly exciting and fascinating show of diverse creatives, offers an unparalleled insight into the future of design and also of our world.

mass imperfections will be part of the abwab exhibit

the abwab program, named after the arabic word for doors, further exemplifies the design week’s aim of providing an international stage for design talent from the MENASA region. the initiative, which was also a key feature of the 2015 event, presents the responses of graphic designers, product designers, photographers and architects from algeria, bahrain, india, iraq, palestine and the UAE, to the theme of ‘the human senses’. located within the walkways of d3, the exhibit will be presented in a pavilion cluster designed by the UAE-based practice hypothetical office.

‘ahwa chairs’ by mariam hazem, reform studio, for cairo now! city incomplete

rawan kashkoush, creative director of abwab says: ‘the abwab pavilions are a microcosm of diversity each year, showcasing design in a format that brings the region closer together. sat side by side, the ideas of each of the countries are emphasized. the exhibitions tell of their origins more clearly when we are able to read them all at once.’

fruit leather by muriel kai

moving from last year’s focus on beirut and turning attention to the capital of egypt, the ‘iconic city: cairo now! city incomplete’ exhibition presents the work of 60 young entrepreneurs, aspiring artists and veteran design practitioners. this mixture of architecture, product, furniture, graphic and typeface design work explores the culture and creative scene of cairo. the show’s theme of incompleteness, curated by architect, researcher and writer mohamed elshahed, is a reflection of the city’s status quo, and was influenced by the city’s abundance of unfinished red-brick buildings.

tamara barrage’s second skin

the 2016 dubai design week’s events are not all just happening at d3, there are many other shows, workshops and talks to look out for, and 15 public installations in landmark locations across the city. these include; the mirzam chocolate factory tour in alserkal; salvador dali and antoni gaudi furniture collection in alserkal avenue; DRAK16’s ‘celebrating wood’ exhibit in ras al khor industrial 2; byahe: a typographic exploration by ape studio; and the culinary art day at top chef cooking studio – to just name a few. to find out all about the vast array of programs, workshops and events happening during the 2016 dubai design week, click here to see the whole list.

DRAK aleni by david trubridge

make sure to follow designboom’s coverage of the 2016 dubai design week, which runs from 24th to 29th october, and its many events, talks and product presentations.

bhaye: typographic exploration by ape creative

1/8