Running from October 24 to 29, this year’s edition of Dubai Design Week will see more than 150 design-related events taking place across the city. The six-day extravaganza will include product launches, exhibitions, installations and design talks, plus the opportunity to explore new parts of the city and visit designers in their studios in D3. From chocolate tours and jewellery launches to the region’s definite design fair, Downtown Design, and the Global Grad Show, an exposition featuring innovative ideas from design students around the world, the entire gamut of design will be covered. We select some of the most exciting things to see and do during the week.
1. Installations
A total of 15 site-specific installations will be set up across the city during the course of the week. We will be looking out for Emirati designer Zeinab Al Hashemi’s collaboration with Swarovski at D3. Hexalite consists of 1,145 crystals and mirrored prisms.
2 Arabesque Archi-Lab
Arabesque Archi-Lab at O’de Rose on Al Wasl Road presents a cross-pollination of design disciplines. Three regional designers – Roger Moukarzel, Karma Salman and Richard Yasmine – will offer their interpretations of Arabic architecture through photography, jewellery and objects such as the Khayzaran/Fairuz table and chair (pictured).
3. The Odd Piece
Dubai Design Week will mark the Middle East launch of the Salvador Dalí and Antoni Gaudí furniture collections at The Odd Piece gallery in Al Serkal Avenue. Crafted by BD Barcelona Design, the collections celebrate the work of the two creatives, and include new pieces inspired by Dalí’s paintings.
4. Marcel Wanders
Marcel Wanders will show his new Grandfather Clock at Downtown Design. The mechanical clock, created for Christofle, is notable for its oversized proportions and silver etchwork. It’s part of an exclusive edition of 50, with three pieces available for regional buyers.
5. Iconic City
Mohamed Elshahed presents an exploration of Cairo's design scene in Cairo Now! City Incomplete, part of Dubai Design Week's Iconic City series. The exhibition looks at architecture, graphic, product and furniture design, to see how a sense of incompletion pervades Cairo's design fabric.
6. The Tentations
The Tentations, an exhibition at D3, will chart the evolution of Nadine Kanso's Bil Arabi jewellery line, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Kanso is one of Dubai's most established creatives, and her photography and jewellery have been sold at auction by the likes of Christie's and Bonhams.
7. Santiago Calatrava
Downtown Design’s varied roster of lectures, workshops and panel discussions will include a keynote speech by the famed architect Santiago Calatrava (pictured), the designer of the UAE National Pavilion for Expo 2020 and the Dubai observation tower that will become the world’s tallest building when it’s completed in 2020. His speech (Tuesday, 7pm) will look at iconic architecture and its impact on environmental, economic and sociocultural aspects of urban development. Another highlight of Downtown Design’s public programme is a panel discussion entitled Remembering Zaha Hadid, which will pay homage to the late starchitect’s projects and legacy in the Middle East.
8. Abwab
Named after the Arabic word for doors, Abwab celebrates design talent in the Menasa region. Curators from Algeria, Bahrain, India, Iraq, Palestine and the UAE have been invited to represent their country’s design expertise through works relating to the theme The Human Senses. Algeria will focus on how sound is transmitted through image, while Palestine will explore the dying art of olive-wood crafting (pictured). The works will be found dotted around the walkways of D3.
9. Global Grad Show
For the second year, DDW presents the Global Grad Show, where 145 projects from 50 leading universities will be showcased in D3’s Building 6. This year, there’s a welcome focus on providing solutions to pressing social needs, from Wearable Shelter (pictured) to the purifying Bottlelight (pictured far bottom left).
10. Chocolate Tours
The UAE-based artisanal chocolate brand Mirzam has collaborated with artist Sheikha Wafa Hasher Al Maktoum to create a unique chocolate bar and wrapper. Watch it being handmade and wrapped in a demonstration at Mirzam’s Al Serkal premises on Tuesday, from 5pm.
11. Italian Pavilion
Marvel at the creations of Italy’s leading furniture companies at the Italian Pavilion at Downtown Design. The showcase will include furniture, textiles and lighting by brands such as Bongio, 13 Ricrea (pictured far top left) and Vetrart (pictured).
12. Khalid Shafar
The poster boy for UAE design, Khalid Shafar, is unveiling his latest creations at his KASA studio tomorrow. He’s keeping the details under wraps, but we’re sure they will be well worth the trip to Ras Al Khor.
• For more info, visit www.dubaidesignweek.ae
