To facilitate collaboration between the creative industry and manufacturers, fabricators, and suppliers in the UAE, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) and Tashkeel have inked a long-term agreement to establish the “Make Works UAE” platform. As a reflection of Dubai Culture’s desire to foster an innovative environment for individuals with talent, business owners, and SMEs, it also aims to highlight the significance of the industrial sector in supporting the cultural and creative sectors. The Authority wants to boost Dubai’s standing as a major centre for the arts and culture around the world. It also wants to stimulate the local creative manufacturing and export system.
Through this five-year agreement, Dubai Culture will work with Tashkeel to develop the Make Works UAE e-platform, particularly the content of the directory that profiles manufacturing and production services. This will help to ensure the directory’s sustainability and growing value as an open access information provider while increasing the number of profiles on local manufacturers, fabricators, and suppliers. As a result of the cooperation, small and emerging enterprises (SMEs) will be able to market their products and services to the creative sectors. Additionally, Make Works UAE will present an annual lineup of manufacturing and making-related workshops and presentations for manufacturers, suppliers, creative professionals, and business owners.
“Dubai Culture harnesses its capabilities to enhance the strength of the cultural and creative industries in the emirate and empower its creative economy, in addition to uniting efforts aimed at supporting entrepreneurs and talents and raising the efficiency of the production and export sector in the cultural and creative industries,” said Khulood Khoory, Director of Dubai Culture’s Projects & Events Department. This is consistent with Dubai’s cultural strategy, which aims to solidify the emirate’s status as a major cultural city, an incubator for creativity, and a vibrant talent hub.
In addition, Khoory said that the collaboration between Dubai Culture and Tashkeel “represents an advanced step on the road to developing the cultural and creative industries in Dubai and the UAE.” Khoory reaffirmed the importance of facilitating communication between artists, designers, and local production companies. Make Works UAE is a cutting-edge interactive platform that will encourage better cooperation with the manufacturing sector, allowing local production capacities to expand and increasing their economic contribution.
Extending Make Works UAE reflects Dubai Culture’s desire to foster communication between the design and arts sectors and the local manufacturing community, as well as strengthening the system of cultural and creative industries based on an integrated chain consisting of four elements: innovation, production, distribution, and access channels for products and services resulting from this sector, which ensures its sustainability and highlights its positive attributes.
“Tashkeel welcomes the support of Dubai Culture in developing Make Works UAE as a major production resource for the cultural and creative industries, offering insight into the range of industries, materials, processes, machines, and products available within the Emirate of Dubai and beyond,” said Lisa Ball-Lechgar, Deputy Director of Tashkeel. Collaboration is the key to any sector’s growth. Make Works UAE aims to promote this by disseminating knowledge, expertise, and services related to manufacturing so that more artists, designers, and other creatives living and working in this region may manufacture locally and to the highest standards.
Make Works UAE is a listing of regional producers, fabricators, and suppliers that aims to promote interaction between regional production and creative businesses, encouraging new ideas and helping to bring them to life while promoting the Made in UAE label.
The portal currently features content from more than 20 businesses, including 10 businesses located in the Al Quoz Creative Zone, and receives an average of 3,000 page views per week. These businesses work in the design of wood and leather, printing, ceramics, jewelry, etc. In accordance with the agreement, Make Works UAE will add verified profiles of 150 manufacturers, fabricators, and suppliers doing business in Dubai and the UAE over the course of the following five years along with a schedule of talks and workshops.
The first and only platform outside of Europe to be a part of the Make Works network is the Make Works UAE, which was established by Tashkeel in 2017. The network is housed at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), Fab City Research Lab Barcelona, and is a part of Fab City’s Distributed Design platform, which is supported by Creative Europe. Make Works UAE, Iceland, Scotland, Catalonia, Paris, Derbyshire (England), Milan, Vienna, and Budapest make up the network at the moment.