Dubai Design Week is the gift that keeps giving. The annual weeklong design festival has gifted the city with some of the coolest installations and exhibits. How many times have you whirled around giddily on the gravity-defying Spun Chairs at d3, always expecting to fall down but never falling? Not to mention its many ingenious workshops and events opens up our minds to thinking out of the box and our eyes to the beauty of art, architecture and lesser-known fields such as product design and multimedia.
The free-to-attend design festival is back for its eighth edition at d3 (Dubai Design District)from November 8-13 and has some picture-perfect installations lined up that you definitely want to capture for the ‘gram. Here’s a rundown of what to expect.
Insta-worthy Installations
1. The Musical Ring
This multicolored creation is so eye-catching we could gaze at it all day. Built by Sharabassy Built Environment Studio, this stunning exhibit is not just a visual delight but an audible joy too. It combines a ring of lasers that reflects light which moves in rhythm to music. Think musical fountains but made up of lights. Add to that video projection and three-dimensional imagery and you’ve got a hypnotic ring that binds them all.
2. RI–BBORN
Firstly, kudos to the world play melding ‘ribbons’ and ‘reborn’. This flowy installation is the brainchild of artists Nada Zuhair and Riham Ahmed that shines a light on the 3 R’s of sustainability: reduce, reuse and recycle. This installation will put on quite the show with a dramatic opening that unleashes bright and bold orange ribbons created using recycled and salvaged materials. The hints of blue in between represent feelings of freedom and confidence that an open space can instil in people.
3. Cascade
Created by design firm Two Thirds, this neutral-colored installation aims to transport viewers to the southern regions of Saudi Arabia and experience it’s cultural hospitality. Entering the structure, guests will pass through cascading fabric curtains that represent unveiling the layers of our own individual stories. Like an onion but way more Instagrammable. Besides the metaphorical layers, the installation which doubles up as an amphitheatre-like space will also host programme of talks where regional entrepreneurs will share their creative inputs.
4. Let’s talk about the Weather!
Lebanese design house Bokja has found a creative way to spread environmental awareness that doesn’t involve throwing food on priceless paintings. They’ve entered the ring of the eco-conscious conversation quite literally with this boxing ring-inspired installation. The idea here is to get people to stop by and engage in a discussion about the disjointed collection of items assembled to look like a punching bag. Made of textiles and other random materials, this surrealist exhibit will feature imagery, icons and quotes (such as Einstein’s) that symbolise the topic of climate crisis. Spectators can interpret them freely and turn the most common conversation-starter – the weather – into an engaging debate.
What else is on at Design Week?
Besides striking installations, you can also watch out for these events during the 6-day design festival.
Exhibitions
Checkout exhibitions on ground-breaking Metaverse technology and other exciting events by local Dubai-based designers.
Workshops
There are a host of creative and educational workshops for both kids and adults that combine fun and new skills.
Market
This is a new addition to Dubai Design Week and visitors will get to explore Design Market by FLTRD for the first time ever. It’s going to be a homegrown retail market experience featuring home décor to ready-to-wear collections and local artisanal products created by UAE brands.
Trade Show
A trade show will be conducted in this year’s session called Downtown Design. From November 9-12 , high-end design will be displayed at d3’s Waterfront Terrace, where prominent speakers and designers will participate.
Talks
Fire up those grey cells and expand your knowledge with an array of panel discussions that will be conducted by top design professionals at The Forum at Downtown Design. You’ll be up to speed on the latest trends and innovations in regional and international design.