Downtown Design
Downtown Design’s return to a full, live and in-person fair this November 8-12 will capture an important moment of rejuvenation and opportunity in the Middle Eastern design market November’s fair will host brands from over 20 countries as well as major national representations from European countries including Italy, Spain and France; and the largest exhibition of limited edition and collectible design to date.
Bentley X Hessa Al Suwaidi
Bentley Motors is collaborating with Dubai Design Week this year to create a bespoke showcase with Emirati designer Hessa Al Suwaidi using one of the brand’s hero models, the Flying Spur. The creative installation takes inspiration from Bentley’s craftsmanship and design of movement, combined with a modern iteration of traditional Emirati craft.
Urban Commissions 2021: Yowalah
Supported by A.R.M. Holding, this year’s Urban Commission has been awarded to the ‘Yowalah’ project by Beirut-based studio Bits to Atoms, for their proposal responding to the 2021 theme of PLAY! Inspired by and named after the traditional Emirati dance, Yowalah, the installation aims to reclaim the public spaces where communities can be reunited and social engagement enacted with public health in mind, Bits to Atoms devised a system that can be configured in public spaces as interactive platforms for all ages.
UAE Designer Exhibition 2.0
UAE Designer Exhibition returns this year with a second adaptation, fully dedicated to a presentation of the emergent and early career designers and creatives from across the UAE. This exhibition will transform into a continual platform for the local creative community, offering emerging talents and young practitioners and practices the chance to break into the creative regional market, to launch new work, to gain audience feedback and establish possible commercial leads and collaborations.
MENA Grad Show
The second edition of the MENA Grad Show will bring together social impact innovation projects in the fields of technology, science and design from universities across the region. The exhibition, a key component of Dubai Design Week, will showcase some of the most exciting social impact innovation projects from students in universities across the Middle East and North Africa region. It will spotlight projects focused on improving and transforming lives and the planet, in the fields of technology, science and design.
2040: d3 Architecture Exhibition
Dedicated to architecture, the 2040: d3 Architecture Exhibition, aims at gathering Dubai Design District (d3), Dubai and regionally based architecture firms, studios and visionary architects, who are practicing in the MENA region, around a central theme by making d3 the launchpad of their proposals and ideas. Projects by firms and architects, envisioning the future of the built-space inspired by their direct environments, cultural contexts and accumulated experience of working in the region will be presented in the exhibition using innovative mediums and formats in a multi-dimensional space at the heart of d3.
AlUla Design
AlUla, the heritage and geological destination in North West Saudi Arabia, will present an immersive experience with a dedicated showcase in d3 during Dubai Design Week. Designed by Gio Forma and Black Engineering, the exhibition will showcase the extraordinary design projects that are shaping AlUla and the ways that leading designers are responding to the region’s unique landscapes and history featuring master plans by world-leading architects and designers, revealing the development of early planning principles, research approaches and realized and future projects.
Abwab
Abwab translates to ‘doors’ in Arabic and is an annually remodeled key feature of the Dubai Design Week programme, dedicated to commissioning work from across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia with the objective to promote the region’s talent and stimulate cultural exchange. Abwab acts as a united platform for creative talent from the UAE and the wider MENASA region, inviting visitors into the creative landscapes of neighbouring communities. After multiple jury deliberation phases, the 2021 Abwab commission has been awarded to Dubai-based architect Ahmed El-Sharabassy for his proposal titled ‘Nature in Motion’, responding to this year’s theme of regenerative architecture and restorative design, the pavilion structure references the Dubai desert’s constant motion, emulating the city’s continuous development and evolution.
The Beirut Concept Store
As part of Dubai Design Week’s focus on supporting the Lebanese creative community this year, The Beirut Concept Store is a celebration of Lebanese design, showcasing emerging and established design talent based in Lebanon, within the Downtown Design fair. Situated with Downtown Design’s dedicated showcase for limited-edition design, Downtown Editions, and curated by Mariana Wehbe, The Beirut Concept Store is a collective design effort to bring the spirit of the Lebanese design scene to the centre stage, providing visibility and commercial opportunity, set within a scenography imagined and executed by the multi-talented designer and artist Rumi Dalle.
Connectivity
The colourful outdoor installation built from recycled materials, ‘Connectivity’ by Kart Group represents the significance and beauty of social connections, while celebrating the diversity of Dubai. ‘
