A range of showcases will uncover the latest in design from the region at this year’s Dubai Design Week, from innovative exhibitions to unique and engaging pop-ups staged across the festival’s main hub in Dubai Design District (d3), bringing an exciting programme for visitors of all ages.
The UAE Designer Exhibition 2.0 will unveil works by 25 emerging and undiscovered creative talents, based and producing locally, while The Beirut Concept Store will feature works by 50 established designers and emerging creative talent based in Lebanon, from tableware and furniture pieces to books and small gift items.
The Embassy of Switzerland will collaborate with Zayed University and UAE-based creative studio Hamzat Wasl, led by Hind Bin Demaithan and Fatma Al Mahmoud, presenting ‘The Most Beautiful Swiss Books’, a unique exhibition highlighting the preservation of the printing press and design.
Visitors can also explore an exhibition titled ‘Design Your Future!’, a collaboration between L’Institut Français of the United Arab Emirates and Cité Internationale du Design, which will focus on the challenges of the design process from idea to application, for a brighter transition to the future.
Meanwhile, an exhibition by the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI), titled ‘One Grain at a Time’, will invite visitors to reflect on the transience of time and boundlessness of space through an immersive intervention and ‘Together’, an active and colourful pop-up space by Jotun will be centred around the unique moods that arise when people meet.
in5, an enabling platform for entrepreneurs and startups, is giving visitors the chance to explore a multidisciplinary exhibition showcasing emerging design practices from its platform, highlighting new innovative practices, products and designs featuring both technology-driven design and traditional user-centered design paradigms.
This year, Dubai Design Week is highlighting the craft of ceramics through an interactive and engaging programme titled ‘Ceramatastic’, aims to shed light on the craft and its makers, featuring a range of works and creatives from in the UAE.
Showcasing the growing interest in clay culture in the region, 16 finalists of the 5th Dubai Ceramic Award by American University of Dubai will be featured in the space, alongside works by Faissal El-Malak, Michael Rice, and Tamara Barrage.
An exhibition presented by IED Istituto Europeo di Design will feature projects by IED Alumni at Dubai Design Week 2021 in d3, focused on three core themes; sustainability, lightness and fragility. The featured projects, HATCH by Yellowdot Design and ASSEMBLAGE 2.0 by Andra Handric, present a balance between passion, creativity and protection of an ecosystem, with a focus on knowledge of new materials, upcycling and decluttering based on our duty to provide a future for the next generations.
ATÖLYE Dubai will stage a pop-up space in Dubai Design District (d3), presenting an experiential programme of talks and masterclasses, hosted by renowned local and international speakers. Titled ‘The Re:turn‘, the pop-up will represent a different stage of the cyclical creative process and will throughout the week also operate as a communal workspace for ATÖLYE community members and visitors to Dubai Design Week in d3.
Explore the full schedule of pop-ups and exhibitions and select your favourites when you download the free Dubai Design Week 2021 app.