• The region’s largest creative festival, Dubai Design Week grew by 25% this year; welcoming 75,000 visitors into Dubai Design District (d3) and featured its most diverse programme to date, consisting of 250 events staged by 130 participating companies.
• Inaugurating its new section Downtown Editions this year, the Downtown Design fair saw 16,000 visitors come through the doors and presented 175 brands; of which 40% were new exhibitors and including 40 regional designers.
• Held in partnership with Investment Corporation Dubai, Global Grad Show showcased 150 projects and staged its first AI conference, which 70,000 people tuned into via live streaming.
• Numerous awards and prizes were announced at Dubai Design Week, including the Audi Innovation Award 2018, Urban Commissions 4.0, the winning project of Design 100 and the Progress Prize, whilst the first Rado Star Prize UAE was launched and will be unveiled at Dubai Design Week 2019.
The region’s largest creative festival welcomed 75,000 visitors into Dubai Design District (d3) from the 12-17 November and saw over 250 events by 130 participating companies, reflecting the city’s position as a regional hub for design and creativity and as a key event in the global cultural calendar.
Illustrated in the growth of content in this year’s Dubai Design Week, the annual festival fosters an environment that supports new ideas and welcomes the brightest minds from across the world, with a vast programme this year including the opening of the city’s first contemporary arts institution, Jameel Arts Centre, and the inaugural Fikra Graphic Design Biennial, a wide-ranging exhibition and curatorial initiative dedicated to graphic design.
His Excellency Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting Director General of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, said: “We are delighted to support Dubai Design Week, the largest creative festival in the Middle East, since its launch in 2015 as we deem it exemplary for encouraging and empowering local and international talents. This was reflected in our commissioning of the Emirati architect and designer, Abdalla Al Mulla, who showcased an inspirational design piece entitled ‘Shak’l’. The event had a positive impact on Dubai's status and reputation, helping the Emirate become the first Middle Eastern city to be featured on UNESCO’s ‘Creative Cities Network’ list, and contributing to strengthening Dubai’s position as a leading design centre in the region. We are pleased to keep up with the community-based creative programmes of local talents and the presentations made by creators in Dubai to attract an increasing number of visitors, be they art enthusiasts or professionals, and help achieve Dubai Plan 2021 as a city for happy and creative individuals.”
d3’s Chief Executive Officer, Mohammad Saeed Al Shehhi, says: “It has been another great week here at Dubai Design District and I’m personally delighted with how well Dubai Design Week has been received. The district has again played host to a very high calibre of design installations, activations, talks and workshops which combined to bring some of the best design related content to Dubai. As a Design District, we are really cementing Dubai’s role as a serious global destination for design and supporting the wide array of creativity on an international level. We already look forward to next year”.
Rawan Kashkoush, Creative Director of Dubai Design Week, said: “By recognizing an undeniable hunger for Dubai to be a resource for ideas and change, the 6-day event is a mandatory tool in unveiling existing talent in the UAE and the region, and forging connections with the global community”.
In line with the festival’s focus on sustainability and design for the future, Dubai Design Week 2018 was supported by sustainability partner Bee’ah, whose materials were used in highlight projects and installations, including Abwab and Audi Innovation Hub. Among other partners the Week also had the support of Abanos, Facebook, and Hills Advertising.
This year’s edition of Downtown Design, the leading design fair in the Middle East, attracted 16,000 visitors and presented a wide range of established and emerging exhibitors, comprising 175 brands including 40 regional designers, the fair’s strongest showcase of regional talent to date, and with 65 brands exhibiting at the fair for the first time. The inaugural section of the fair, Downtown Editions, showcased limited-edition and bespoke design from the Middle East and beyond, alongside installations and retail pop-ups.
Held in partnership with Investment Corporation of Dubai, the 2018 edition of Global Grad Show showcased 150 forward-thinking projects from universities across the world, each selected from 1000 submissions, double that of last year, and based on its power to accelerate, change and improve lives. New to this year’s event was the 'Belief in AI' conference, looking at creativity in the age of Artificial Intelligence and automation and the Dubai Evolution Challenge, bringing international and UAE design students together to create the next evolution of a Dubai-inspired product or service.
The winning project of Global Grad Show’s annual Progress Prize, ‘Twenty’ is a is a collection of dehydrated household products designed to reduce unnecessary emissions and waste, designed by Mirjam de Bruijn from Design Academy Eindhoven in The Netherlands. The coveted award celebrates the next generation of design talent and recognises the impact that socially and environmentally impactful design can have on the future of humankind.
Audi Innovation Awards 2018
Audi Middle East announced Lebanese designer Elias El Soueidi as the winner of the Audi Innovation Award 2018, responding to this year’s theme ‘Connections’. Selected from 65 submissions from across the Middle East, the winning project ‘Ruin to Reality’ is an app that aims to allow access to virtual 3D models of ruined historical buildings and will receive $25,000 worth of investment in its concept. The first of its kind in the region, the Audi Innovation Award seeks to empower local designers and inspire innovation by challenging creatives to submit entries. The 2019 theme will be announced in January.
Rado Star Prize UAE
Offering the next generation of design talent an opportunity to launch their career onto the international stage, Swiss watch makers Rado announced the first edition of the Rado Star Prize UAE during Dubai Design Week. Young designers will be able to submit their innovative proposals for a chance to be featured at Dubai Design Week 2019, focusing on the idea of design as something enduring, long-lasting and versatile. Finalists will be selected by a jury of design industry professionals and the winner will receive the prize of AED 20,000. Submissions are open until 15 May 2019.
Urban Commissions
Supported by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (DCAA) and Dubai Design District (d3), Urban Commissions is an annual Dubai Design Week initiative that presents designers living in the UAE with an opportunity to produce an urban furniture product, unveiled during the Week and installed permanently at d3. The 2018 winning project ‘Fayyd’, which means overflow in Arabic, by Khalid Al-Tamimi, responded to the task of creating a water feature in order for city dwellers to maintain a connection to nature. Celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2019, Urban Commissions 5.0 will pay homage to the Deira Clocktower, one of the first monuments of the city of Dubai, with the theme ‘Telling Time’.
Design 100
Part of Dubai Design District (d3)’s ‘Design for Good’ initiative, the winning project of Design 100, “The Reading Bench” by Sakina Kara-Sabur and Alicia Spoljar, was unveiled and on display within Downtown Editions, the inaugural fair section of Downtown Design. 100 pieces of the winning design have been produced and were available for purchase. All proceeds go to Dubai Cares.
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About
Dubai Design Week is owned and managed by the Art Dubai Group and is held under the dedicated patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, staged in partnership with Dubai Design District (d3) and supported by Audi Middle East.
Follow Dubai Design Week’s social media channels; Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
About Dubai Design Week
Dubai Design Week is the region’s largest creative festival, reflecting Dubai’s position as the design capital of the Middle East. The free-to-attend programme is made up of more than 230 events covering design across a range of disciplines including architecture, product design, furniture, interiors and graphic design.
An accessible meeting point for the global design community, Dubai Design Week, staged in partnership with Dubai Design District (d3), is a platform for regional design as well as a catalyst for the growth of the creative scene in Dubai. In its 2018 edition, the annual event attracted 75,000 visitors to Dubai Design District (d3) alone. The festival’s varied programme consists of design-related events, exhibitions, installations, competitions, talks and workshops. Key events include the region’s leading design fair, Downtown Design; Global Grad Show that brings together works from 100 of the most innovative universities across the world; and Abwab, the curated and interactive project containing original design from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.
Dubai Design Week is owned and managed by the Art Dubai Group and is held under the dedicated patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.
For more information, please visit www.dubaidesignweek.ae
About Dubai Design District (d3)
Dubai Design District (d3), a member of TECOM Group, is a destination dedicated to design that reinforces Dubai’s new status as a UNESCO Creative City of Design. Established to provide a platform for the region’s growing number of designers, creative professionals and artists to unite, create and inspire, d3 has fast become a hub for inspiration and innovation. Located in the heart of Dubai, the thriving neighbourhood is home to emerging designers as well as international brands.
With over 450 creative partners, including architects, interior designers, photography studios, product and fashion designers, d3 also has more than 45 retail stores and eateries. The Design Quarter at d3 offers visitors the opportunity to discover a variety of design showrooms and art galleries, indulge in authentic dining experiences, and shop at homegrown lifestyle boutiques, fashion ateliers, and international design showrooms.
d3 is also a popular events space that attracts international artists and audiences to cultural exhibitions and gatherings such as Dubai Design Week, Fashion Forward and Sole DXB a regional lifestyle platform for footwear, fashion, culture, art and design. In addition, the destination regularly hosts a roster of industry talks, workshops and educational programming, accessible to people of all ages.
Now open to the d3 community and the district’s visitors, The Block at d3 is a space to escape, relax, unwind and get fit. The recreational facility features a skate park, a basketball and volleyball court, climbing walls, an urban beach, as well as outdoor seating and entertainment areas.
For more information, please visit www.dubaidesigndistrict.com
About Dubai Culture & Arts Authority
The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) was launched on March 8, 2008 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, in order to drive the growth of the city’s artistic and cultural landscape. The Authority’s vision is to establish Dubai as a global, creative, and sustainable city for culture, heritage, arts and literature, and to empower these sectors to bring happiness to Dubai’s society.
As part of its mandate, Dubai Culture has several initiatives that are focused on strengthening both the historic and modern cultural fabric of Dubai, including Dubai Art Season - the city’s premier umbrella arts initiative which kicks off with Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and encompasses Art Week including Art Dubai, and SIKKA Art Fair- an annual event aimed at promoting Emirati and local artists in the UAE and the wider GCC region, Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre - an annual festival that fosters the art of theatre in the UAE and that is celebrating its 12th anniversary in 2018, and Dubai Next - a dynamic platform that aims to showcase the Emirate’s cultural ethos and its vibrant creative scene on the global stage.
The Authority’s other key initiatives include Creatopia (www.creatopia.ae) - the nation’s first government empowered virtual community that guides and nurtures the creative culture of the nation and provides a platform of information and opportunities that lead to exposure and personal growth.
Dubai Culture also plays a leading role in support of the UAE National Strategy for Reading 2026, in particular by undertaking a major refurbishment of all Dubai Public Libraries branches to transform them into state-of- art cultural and artistic hubs. Across all of its branches, Dubai Public Library also provides children and young adults with a range of educational and entertaining activities that encourage the use of its facilities. The ‘Our Summer is Filled with Culture & Arts Programme’ is a Dubai Public Library initiative which complements the UAE National Reading Strategy, with its activities open to all age groups, and which revolve around four key themes: happiness, reading, family and the future.
The Authority also manages more than 16 heritage sites across the Emirate, and is a key government stakeholder in the development of the Dubai Historical District. As the custodian Authority of Dubai’s museum sector, Dubai Culture officially launched Etihad Museum in December 2016. The museum provides platform to encourage cultural exchange and to connect Emirati youth with their culture and history. As part of the Authority mandate to support Dubai’s vision of becoming the focal point of diverse cultural exchange (regionally & globally), the museums will play a catalyst role in preserving Emirati Heritage.
For more information on Dubai Culture please visit www.dubaiculture.gov.ae
About Audi
The Audi Group, with its brands Audi, Ducati and Lamborghini, is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the premium segment. It is present in more than 100 markets worldwide and produces at 16 locations in twelve countries. 100 percent subsidiaries of AUDI AG include Audi Sport GmbH (Neckarsulm), Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy) and Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (Bologna, Italy).
In 2017, the Audi Group delivered to customers about 1.878 million automobiles of the Audi brand, 3,815 sports cars of the Lamborghini brand and 55,900 motorcycles of the Ducati brand. In the 2017 fiscal year, AUDI AG achieved total revenue of €60.1 billion and an operating profit of €5.1 billion. At present, approximately 90,000 people work for the company all over the world, more than 60,000 of them in Germany. Audi focuses on sustainable products and technologies for the future of mobility.
AUDI AG’s commitment to the Middle East region was confirmed through the foundation of its fully owned subsidiary in 2005. The current Middle East model range comprises the Audi A3 & S3, A4 and S4, the A5/S5 Coupe Sportback and Cabriolet and RS 5 Coupe and Sportback, the A6, A7, A8, A8 L, the Audi Q3, Q5 & SQ5, Q7 and Q8, the Audi R8 Coupe, R8 Coupe V10 plus as well as the R8 V10 Spyder.
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