Dubai Design Week and Downtown Design 2024: What to Expect?

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by Alexandra Mansilla

Dubai Design Week and Downtown Design 2024: What to Expect?

13 Sept 2024

Crystal Beat II by PRECIOSA Lighting. Photo: Jan Dolezal

This year, the region’s largest design festival, held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture, celebrates its 10th edition. The dates are already marked in everyone’s calendars: Dubai Design Week will run from November 5–10, with its headline event, Downtown Design, taking place from November 6–9. Featuring 500 designers from 40 countries, thousands of visitors, stunning installations, and the new premium fair "Editions, Dubai," the d3 district will be buzzing.

Natasha Carella, Director of Dubai Design Week, and Mette Degn-Christensen, Director of Downtown Design, share what to expect and who to watch at the fair.

Dubai Design Week

Natasha Carella, Director of Dubai Design Week

— Natasha, this year marks the 10th edition of Dubai Design Week. Are there any special events or plans in place to celebrate this milestone?

— Dubai Design Week's 10th edition this year is a significant milestone, and we look forward to marking this key moment in Dubai’s cultural evolution. This year's event will feature over 500 internationally acclaimed and emerging designers, showcasing the best in design innovation. It is a wonderful opportunity to engage with the creative community and reflect on a decade of growth and inspiration. We have many participants who have been with us since the very beginning and have gone on to have incredibly well-established careers, some of whom will mark this through special presentations at this year’s edition.

— Do you remember the first edition of Dubai Design Week? Could you compare it to this year’s edition? What has changed over the past 10 years?

— Dubai Design Week launched with the vision to create a dynamic design platform that actively fosters the growth of its creative ecosystem and community. Fast forward 10 years, and it has grown into a major global design festival, attracting over 135,000 visitors each year. The scope of the festival has expanded significantly, featuring a broader range of design disciplines and trends.

Each year, we aim to deliver a dynamic programme that engages visitors, makes an impact on both the creative scene and broader audiences, and continues to serve as a platform for the creative community. We’ve seen a shift towards more sustainable and technology-driven designs, and the festival now plays a crucial role in showcasing cutting-edge innovations and fostering a vibrant creative community in Dubai.

Of Palm pavilion by Abdalla Almulla (Dubai Design Week 2023)

— The theme for Urban Commissions is "Tawila" ("table" in Arabic). Why did you choose this theme?

— Urban Commissions is Dubai Design Week’s annual competition that gives architects and designers the opportunity to create community furniture, which is unveiled at the festival in November. Titled "Tawila" (meaning "table" in Arabic), this year’s theme explores the role of the table beyond its typical form and function and as a facilitator of exchange, dialogue and tradition. By examining its historical and contemporary significance, we aim to inspire innovative approaches to public outdoor furniture that foster meaningful community experiences.

Urban Commissions is selecting proposals by a jury panel of design experts including Dr. Alamira Reem Al Hashimi, urbanist, architect and GM of M_39; Ahmad Bukhash, Director — Urban Planning at Dubai Development Authority and Chief Architect & Founder of Archidentity; design consultant and advisor Cyril Zammit; and Robert Shakespeare, Group Design Director at Cracknell, specialising in sustainable urban and landscape design.

— How many applications have you received for Urban Commissions so far?

— This year’s winner was selected from a pool of 150 applications submitted by architects, designers, collectives and other creative practitioners, each presenting innovative concepts for responsible and resilient outdoor furniture design.

— How are designers reflecting this theme in their work? Could you share some that have caught your attention?

— A fitting example would be this year’s winner of Urban Commissions, Altqadum, a research-based design studio from Oman that specialises in architecture, interior and objects design, and is led by Marwan Albalushi, Najd Albalushi and Abdulrahim Alkendi.

Their Bab Al Salam Mosque in Muscat is one of Time Magazine’s "World’s Greatest Places 2024" and is indicative of their practice of re-introducing elements from their surroundings that are both cultural and natural. Their Urban Commissions winning proposal, TukTukDum follows this same approach, taking inspiration from the musical culture of the Gulf, where communities traditionally gather around and accompany musicians. TukTuKDum is an innovative table crafted from traditional and organic materials that encourages interaction, inviting audiences to become performers and even an integral part of the table itself, connecting in both a personal and communal way.

— Dubai Design Week is famous for its installations, which always draw attention. What can we expect this year? Are there any unique or exciting themes or designs we should be looking forward to?

— This year, Dubai Design Week will feature over 40 installations conceived by practitioners and creatives, including architects, designers, engineers and urbanists, as well as design-driven brands and cultural institutions. Audiences can expect to engage with installations that explore ancient technologies, modern innovations and materiality.

Dubai-based architectural and interior design studio, Bone, will present a pavilion made entirely from prefabricated earth blocks, in collaboration with Fetdeterra, technical specialists in rammed earth architecture from Spain; Japanese architectural firm, Mitsubishi Jisho Design, will invite audiences to experience a traditional tea-house made from 3D printed waste sawdust, in an attempt to modernise the traditional Japanese technique of glue-less wood assembly; tech-driven multidisciplinary practice DEOND, founded by Ross Lovegrove and Ila Colombo, will explore the notion of phygital therapy with an AI-infused "second skin" fabric that responds to the body’s state of being; the Therapeutic Pavilion by the University of Sharjah will look to enhance wellness through natural materials like Himalayan salt bricks, integrating natural surroundings and holistic healing practices; as well as other installations made from various organic and upcycled materials including banana fibre, soybean wax, henna, himalayan salt, terracotta and scrap metal.

— Are there any themes that you find particularly interesting and that are reflected in the installations?

— Abwab (meaning "doors" in Arabic) is Dubai Design Week’s highlight programme that supports practitioners from the South West Asian and North African (SWANA) region through the commissioning of installations which, each year, are thematically remodelled to reflect timely global and regional contexts.

To date, over 180 designers from across the region have participated in Abwab, representing a range of countries, including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, India, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the UAE.

For the 2024 edition, Abwab invited practitioners and creatives to submit proposals for installations that present practical solutions, experimental ideas or theoretical insights that address the theme of vernacular architecture and how it can inform regenerative design.

Vernacular architecture is characterised by the use of local materials, climate-responsive techniques, traditions and community-centric designs that are deeply rooted in local environments and culture. By drawing on these principles and intersecting them with pioneering innovations and new techniques, applicants had to present installations which demonstrated how time-honoured architectural methods can adapt and contribute to the regenerative design and the development of built environments that are not only self-sustaining but also foster ecological restoration and cultural continuity. Cross-disciplinary collaborations were also welcomed, which combined diverse backgrounds, practices and knowledge to better our shared future.

The winners of this year’s Abwab will be announced in the coming weeks — so stay tuned!

Beyond installations, Dubai Design Week will also offer a comprehensive range of programmes that span design disciplines and cater to various audiences. These include exhibitions, activations and special presentations; talks, workshops and masterclasses; Downtown Design, the leading fair for contemporary and quality design in the region; the launch of "Editions, Dubai", the region’s first fair for limited edition art and design; as well as a weekend market featuring homegrown business from the UAE and wider region.

Workshop, Dubai Design Week 2023

Downtown Design

Mette Degn-Christensen, Director of Downtown Design

— Could you please announce some participants of Downtown Design?

— We are excited to present an impressive lineup of prominent and globally renowned design brands, including Poltrona Frau's timeless creations, B&B Italia showcased by Baituti Home, and Haberdashery, featuring a bespoke "Sand & Sea" composition. Saint Louis will present its Torsade collection. Lasvit will present a collaboration with international design studio Yabu Pushelberg, while Finasi will present a lifestyle showcase in collaboration with Cappellini. Kartell’s contemporary furniture designs and many more will also be featured.

Joining the 2024 lineup are Danish brands Audo Copenhagen and ferm LIVING, exhibited by their local partner The Bowery Company. Italy’s Jacopo Foggini will present large-scale, handcrafted polycarbonate works and interior solutions, while Cosentino will collaborate with Kuwaiti firm Babnimnim Design Studio (BNN), led by Jassim Alnassar to create an immersive installation of seamless, monolithic walls.

A returning highlight for both design professionals and public visitors to Downtown Design this year is the Isola Design exhibition, which will showcase a curated selection of innovative designers and studios from around the world under the theme "This Future is Currently Unavailable", inviting reflection on design’s role in shaping our collective future.

Tanween by Tashkeel, one of the UAE’s key cultural incubators, returns with its largest cohort yet, showcasing emerging UAE-based designers and offering a transformative journey that hones skills and promotes sustainable design in the UAE.

BEIT Collective, known for its collaborations with sculptors and designers to preserve craftsmanship in the region, will be joining us with a commission of international designers creating works with artisans in Lebanon.

Now in its fifth year, the UAE Designer Exhibition 5.0 will spotlight designers who are passionate about creating emotionally resonant objects that serve as retreats in today’s hectic world. Guest Curator Omar Al Gurg, a 2021 alumnus of the exhibition, will select this year’s participants and take them on a journey to explore how materiality and form contribute to Downtown Design’s vision of high-quality contemporary design.

We are also proud to host several country pavilions, including the Designed in Saudi exhibit, curated by the Design and Architecture Commission of the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Part of a strategic national initiative to develop the Kingdom’s industrial design sector, the pavilion celebrates Saudi creativity.

Interiors from Spain, an initiative by ICEX Spain Trade and Investment, will exhibit 10 Spanish brands. For its fifth participation at Downtown Design, Interiors from Spain has commissioned B8 Architecture and Design Studio, to create a Spanish oasis for the event. Dubai-based B8 Architecture brings a unique perspective to the showcase.

The Dutch Collective also returns this year, featuring seven designers and artists working across various mediums, including vivid works by Amsterdam-based design studio Femm, as well as creations by Milla Novo and textile artist Sina Dyks.

Poltrona Frau, Squash Collection; Haberdashery, Sand & Sea; Dutch Collective

— Are there any works at Downtown Design Week that you find particularly interesting?

— There are so many impressive creatives and projects joining us this year. Right from the get-go, visitors will be treated to some impressive works, starting with our entrance installation by Dutch designer Linda Nieuwstad. Showcasing her signature oversized flowers made from upcycled materials, these striking features are created with repurposed everyday materials like struck tarpaulins, old wool blankets and construction sheeting. Nieuwstad's work beautifully combines historical references with contemporary sustainability. At the fair, visitors will be met by Flores Papaver and Magnolias.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to experience deGournay’s exquisite hand-painted wallpapers, which are rooted in the tradition of centuries-old chinoiserie panels and often feature lavish, vibrantly coloured garden scenes. The dedicated deGournay Lounge at Downtown Design will be a display of these unique works of art.

— Could you tell us more about Editions? What is the main concept? Why has it been highlighted as a separate program? Could you also tell us more about the participants?

— 'Editions' is the Middle East’s first limited-edition art and design fair, set to run alongside Downtown Design during Dubai Design Week. It will feature more than 50 galleries, design studios and collectives showcasing contemporary design and artworks across mediums such as prints, photography, ceramics and works on paper.

With a range of prices inherent to the edition's format, 'Editions' makes collecting more approachable while offering a fresh opportunity for yet-to-be-discovered creatives. This new event highlights an area of art and design not widely showcased in this region before, providing a unique platform for creatives to showcase their work in a distinctive and more accessible format. Participants will be announced at the end of September.

by Alexandra Mansilla

Dubai Design Week and Downtown Design 2024: What to Expect?

13 Sept 2024

Dubai Design Week

Downtown Design

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