Dubai Design Week 2022. Suhail installation by Reem Al Bustani – Courtesy of Dubai Design Week 2022.
Design – Dubai Design Week 2022, the eighth edition of the largest design event in the Middle East, is back to the Emirati metropolis to celebrate regional and international talent with a big focus on sustainability. The event is curated in strategic partnership with Dubai Design District (d3) – the UAE hub for art, design, fashion, and architecture – and supported by Dubai Culture national program. We selected 10 of the must-see installations and exhibitions on show.
RELATED STORIES: Read more about Dubai 2022 on Archipanic.
Downtown Design fair
IOTA installation by Karim Tamerji and Elias El Hage.
At d3, the largest fair in the Middle East, Downtown Design takes over the waterfront terrace to host some of the most influential international brands. Outside the fair, visitors are welcomed by the IOTA installation by Karim Tamerji and Elias El Hage. The landscape of freestanding and stackable spheres is handcrafted from rammed heart and celebrates the region’s natural resources.
Gaar by Narek Krikorian @ Downtown Design – Courtesy of Narek Krikorian.
We liked Narek Krikorian’s Gaar bold and contemporary furniture collection made in stitched leather and handcrafted by Lebanese craftsmen according to traditional techniques. UAE-based ARDH presents From Dunes and Trees, a circular structure composed of bricks made from desert sand and date seeds. Sisters Mentalla and Asmaa Said, a.k.a. Doodle and the Gang studio, launch furniture, and ceramic pieces hand built by local artisans.
Once upon a forest
Once upon a forest by OBMI.
US-based office OBMI has created an installation combining sustainable design with the preservation of one of UAE’s most striking yet endangered natural landscapes: the mangrove forest. Visitors entering the pavilion’s floating canopy become immersed in exploring the protection and resiliency of the indigenous forest ecosystem.
A star is rising…
Suhail installation by Reem Al Bustani.
Reem Al Bustani created an installation inspired by the rhythmic sounds of waves rising and falling during the rise of the Suhail star and the changing of seasons. In Arab folklore, the star that rises when the weather cools down symbolizes prosperity, abundance, and favorable times.
Upcycling fishing nets
Al Gargoor instalation by Sara Alrayyes.
Bahraini designer Sara Alrayyes present Al Gargoor, a creative space featuring furnishings made from upcycled gargoor – a formerly used fishing net. The installation aims to educate the next generation about the importance of the fishing culture while preserving Bahrain and the surrounding Gulf countries’ unique identities.
Celebrating Iranian women
Seven Cypresses installation by Banafsheh Hemmati – Photo via IG, follow @dubaidesignweek.
Banafsheh Hemmati dedicates this installation as a memorial to the women of her land, who, like this installation, have been in a state of suspension for more than four decades. In Persian literature, the cypress is a metaphor for women. These seven cypresses symbolise the endurance and persistence of Iranian women.
Palm Renaissance
Palm Renaissance by Tash Architects – Photo via IG, follow @dubaidesignweek.
Every year in the UAE, forty million date palms alone generate approximately 500,000 tonnes of waste. What if we could repurpose to create contemporary screens providing efficient, natural sunshades? This is Tash Architects’ idea behind the Palm Renaissance pavilion in d3. Graphic posters line the walls of Palm Renaissance, showcasing design possibilities of repurposing this waste in architectural forms.
How much does your debris weigh?
How much does your debris weigh? by Quartz Architects – Photo via IG, follow @dubaidesignweek.
UAE-based Quartz Architects have created an installation inviting visitors to reflect on the building industry’s impact and rethink its relationship with materials. Titled How much does your debris weigh?, the installation comes with a canopy topped by cascading demolished materials in their raw state that creates an uneasy feeling of weight.
d3 Design Market
For the first time, the d3 Design Market by FLTRD will take place across the week, offering a retail experience full of homegrown offerings that span from homewares to ready-to-wear, with the programme expanded on the weekend to provide the best in local artisanal products.
Tashkeel: The Agency of Nature
Skin ceiling-mounted light by Shaza Khalil x Tashkeel’s Tanween Program – Courtesy of Shaza Khalil.
Tashkeel creative platform presents The Agency of Nature exhibition, revealing the processes that are helping to shape a new vernacular design rooted in the UAE. Using seeds, skin, scales, bark, and fibre, this exhibition explores the role of nature in sustainable design practices for a circular economy world. All the pieces on show have been developed during the Tanween Design Programme by Khawla Al Balooshi, Reema Al Mheiri, Huda Al Aithan, Shaza Khalil, Ebrahim Assur, Sara Abu Farha & Khaled Shalkha, and Nuhayr Zein.
Prototypes for Humanity
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At the Dubai International Financial Centre, 100 out-of-the-box design solutions by the next generation of designers go on show at the Prototypes for Humanity exhibition. Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the platform brings together the work of students and researchers from 23 universities from across the globe. Discover smart balloons preventing fires or floating barriers stopping river garbage from dispersing into the sea.
Once upon a forest by OBMI – Courtesy of Dubai Design Week 2022.
All photos of Dubai Design Week 2022: Courtesy of @dubaidesignweek and/or the designers/brands.
