An Extravagance of Futurism Displayed at Dubai Design Week 2021
The seventh edition of the annual exhibit, ‘Dubai Design Week’, was conducted by the Art Dubai Group between November 08 to 12 in Lebanon. With the unrivalled quality of design displays, the event was an opulent addition to the franchise’s successful lineage. The event united various designers and architects to proliferate and demonstrate the possibilities exuded by Design. With over 200 activities, the week-long celebration of art, design and architecture took place in the Dubai Design District (or D3).
What to Expect?
The Dubai Design Week conducts internationally recognised exhibitions and programs such as MENA Grad Show, Abwab, Downtown Design Program, Making Space, UAE Designer and the MarketPlace.
MENA Grad Show –
Each year the graduating students in the region exhibit their design in the Grad Show. Dubai Design Week showcases nearly 800 to 1000 design ideas from 150 renowned universities across the globe. The exhibit witnessed the role of Design shifting to focus on the reversal of the Environmental Crisis, which was initially caused by Design in the first place. Hence, the grad exhibit of 2021 had students addressing issues such as desertification, accessibility to child nutrition and waste management.
Abwab-
‘Abwab’ means ‘doors’ in Arabic and is an annually remodelled key feature of the event. It acts as a gateway exclusively into countries across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia to showcase their designs and promote the regions’ talent. The cultural interchange is the key take-away here. The commission to remodel the 2021 Abwab was awarded to Dubai-based architect Ahmed El-Sharabassy for his bid, ‘Nature in Motion’. A rigorous jury process concluded on finalising the architect’s work as it resonated with the year’s theme of regenerative architecture and restorative design. The architect referenced Dubai’s economic and sociological development and evolution through the constant motion of the city’s deserts.
The Downtown Design Program –
The Downtown Design Program is a fair conducted to showcase leading design products from twenty major European countries including Italy, Spain and France. This program included conferences, workshops by leading architects, interior and product designers. Exhibiting unique and premium quality designs, the fair is the commercial highlight of the programme uniting creative leaders and design heads across the globe.
Making Space –
Making Space program has a series of more than eighty events and workshops conducted on the theme ‘Paper, Plastic and Play.’ With guidance from designers and entrepreneurs, this program had workshops conducted to explore the use of environmentally friendly products and worked on showcasing their creativity.
UAE Designer –
UAE Designer exhibit focuses on promoting the designs of budding designers. As a collaborative and promotional event, the participants from various fields of design such as textile design, furniture design, handmade homeware accessories, traditional crafts, using 3D printing and rapid manufacturing technologies are allowed to exhibit their design projects.
The Marketplace –
The marketplace provided a weekend-long shopping experience for families with products ranging from food to unique ceramic designs. An international food market comprising eateries from France, West Africa, and Taiwan were catered. The program focussed on representing the Lebanese culture with food and products representing their culture and tradition.
The Dubai Design Week was successfully organised under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Chairperson of DCAA (Dubai Culture and Arts Authority). The event that is quintessential for the design community helps in promoting unique designs, along with pushing the designers to align their designs with the requirements of the changing world. Dubai Design Week has become a zeitgeist for the designers of the 21st Century and also to the visitors looking for a refreshing take on existing designs.
