What not to miss
Continuing to push the boundaries of innovative design, the 2019 edition of Dubai Design Week celebrates even more regional talent.
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Held under the patronage of HH Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Dubai Design Week is the largest creative festival in the Middle East. The six-day programme is made up of events covering a range of design disciplines including architecture, product, furniture, interior and graphic design.
The fifth edition of the largest creative festival in the Middle East will be celebrated with a varied programme of over 200 events, highlighting the design identity of the UAE and wider region
Grab your creative cap, and join us at the Dubai Design District with our guide to some key events, exhibitions and talks.
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Ones to watch
Downtown Editions is Downtown Design’s dedicated showcase of bespoke and limited-edition design by established and emerging designers. Taking place between 12 – 15 November, this year’s event will offer the next generation of participating designers the opportunity to get discovered by the largest annual gathering of design professionals that takes place in the region. Exhibiting designers will include Kuwaiti Meshary AlNassar, who will show a collection of sculptural marble lights inspired by his family home, UAE- based Tashkeel, who will unveil the 2019 cohort of Tanween designers and Sharjah-based Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council who will present pieces of traditional and modern crafts from across the UAE. Aljoud Lootah will also present a numbered, limited-edition collection of objects inspired by the Emirati wooden dowry chest, the Mandoos, while the region’s equestrian culture will be represented in a collection by Emirati designer Hajar Abdallah, who makes her designer debut. Designer Ghassan Salameh will curate two exhibitions which focus on regional design.
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Is retail experience still relevant?
This is the question that the panel of experts will explore on November 13. Rabih Geha (Rabih Geha Architects), Doug Shaw (CallisonRTKL), Denise Neri (Aesop) and Natalie Holland (Chalhoub Group) will tackle the issues facing stores as more customers gravitate online and see how business can creatively re-engage with their shoppers once more.
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Celebrating regional talent
Translated as ‘doors’ in Arabic, Abwab is an architectural installation that offers a platform for design talent from across the Middle East. In its fifth edition the designers selected from India, the Eastern Provinces of Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon will be challenged to recreate the local classrooms of their cultures through the “ways of learning” theme. Make sure to stop by “WAL(L)TZ” installation by Lebanese-Polish sisters Tessa Sakhi and Tara Sakhi, of multidisciplinary Beirut based architecture and design studio T SAKHI Architects. They are setting up an interactive wall portraying the socio-political barriers in society through a psychological and physiological journey.
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In his shoes
The maestro of one of the most recognised shoe brands, Christian Louboutin will be in Dubai for a special talk ahead of a major exhibition in February 2020 at the Palais de la Porte Dorée in Paris that will showcase a selection of the most precious works from his personal collection as well as collaborations with artists. The celebrated shoe designer will be sharing what inspires his rich artistic universe on November 13.
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Installation for the gram
The Maze is a dynamic installation from Dubai-based firm Nyxo. The concept explores the domains of interactive surfaces with a sculptural quality. It is an interface that is constantly reconfigured by the visitors as they rotate the plates and change the configuration – basically you can transform the shiny wall into a 3D dynamic puzzle, ready for the next person to try and solve.
This year’s edition will take place 11 – 16 November 2019
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