Dubai Design Week (DDW) is back for another chapter of creativity and is set to host 200 events covering design across a range of disciplines like architecture, product design, interior design, multimedia, and graphic design. The event will run from November 11 to November 16 at the Dubai Design District – D3.
DDW will be held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. The event is free to attend for everyone and will host a set of fun programs for the creative ones consisting of exhibitions, installations, competitions, talks, and workshops.
There are three primary events you don’t want to miss during this week – Downtown Design, Global Grad Show, and Abwab.
Downtown Design is the region’s leading design trade fair which will take place from November 12 to November 15. This year’s edition of the fair is a special one as it will see representation from 30 countries. What’s more, 100 new brands will be displayed alongside returning exhibitors with a focus on the next generation of regional talent. Some of the key brands returning to the fair are Atelier Swarovski, Zaha Hadid Architects, and Arper. Swarovski is set to produce a collaborative collection with Spanish designer Tomas Alonso.
Downtown Dubai Exterior. Courtesy of DDW
Other artists who will be showcasing their work in Dubai for the first time are Pedrali from Italy featuring their contemporary design furniture, Skram from North America who will launch a contemporary chair, Vicalvi from Italy will show their eco friendly range of high-end wall and floor covering, Moser who will etch customized vases at their stand, Fernando Mastrangelo from Brooklyn, New York will launch an assortment of mirrors enlivened by land highlights of Dubai, Tasca 4D from Japan will highlight collectible furniture, and Arijian from South Korea will feature his handmade merchandise and territorial materials among others.
Designers presenting works inspired by the Middle East culture are Hajar Abdallah who’s collection will commend the locale’s equestrian culture, Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council who will exhibit objects created as a team in collaboration with Emirati craftswomen, and Binchy & Binchy will launch ten new tables inspired by architecture. Moreover, to pay tribute to UAE’s Year of Tolerance, bespoke rug studio Hands will uncover a piece motivated by kids’ work of art. The returns will profit ‘Senses’, a charity of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
There will also be a Forum set at Downtown Design where guests can participate in talks, workshops, and panel discussions by designers like Lina Ghotmeh, Ashiesh Shah and Denise Neri.
There’s more, DDW will be hosting the Global Grad Show, and this year’s program will feature 150 graduate projects from 100 universities from around the world. This event is fully focused on the leaders of the future, and the upcoming generation of innovators. What’s more, a conference about social impact education will take place with Elenor Watson as a moderator. Elenor is a member of the curatorial team at the Design Museum in London. Every year, professors and graduates from the fields of science, technology, and design gather at DDW and to discuss and innovate projects to create a better world.
Another special event that is incredibly unique and popular throughout these years at DDW is Abwab. It is an extraordinary exhibition that is renovated each year and is devoted to working crosswise over South Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. The motivation behind it is to advance structure ability and invigorate information exchange. This year, designers have been challenged to recreate local classrooms of their culture with a representation of this year’s theme ‘Ways of Learning’. Designers showcasing their creation this season are Sa’af by Azaz Architects from the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, Qissa Ghar by The Busride Design Studio from India, and WAL(L)TZ by T Sakhi Architects from Lebanon. Attendees will get a chance to interact with each pavilion.
The Global Graduate Fair and Abwab are set to take place from November 12 to November 16.
Read Next: Lionel Richie Will Perform at The Dubai Jazz Festival 2020
