Dubai Design Week 2023 returns to floors in 10 days—and we couldn’t be more excited. Held every year from November 7 to 12 (a time when the city’s infamous humidity drops), the design event attracts a global audience and showcases the best of UAE’s art and design scene.
This iteration is already making headlines for returning with bigger ambitions. For one, the outdoor installations at Dubai Design Week 2023 are set to claim a bigger stage. Reportedly, visitors will encounter more than 20 installations between the building blocks at d3 (Dubai Design District).
Honouring 2023 as the Year of Sustainability in Dubai, these ‘stop-stare-and-engage’ points will posit designs ameliorated by technology as forerunners for a greener future. Glimpses of Saudi Arabia’s growing creative and economic prowess and a palpable emphasis on Middle Eastern culture are expected to guide the pop-ups during this week-long odyssey.
Here are nine spectacles you must not miss….
Naseej by Alzaina Lootah is a wooden pavilion designed for peaceful contemplation. The wellspring of its inspiration is Emirati traditional weaving patterns and the graceful shapes of palm fronds. Made up of layers of carefully arranged reclaimed wood to create a stunning pattern, Naseej symbolises how sustainability, architecture, and culture can come together even to realise complex structures and spaces.
Blessings of Iridescence
Mother of Pearls Reincarnated
Orient Design Studio, led by Sara Al Rayyes, works relentlessly to preserve Bahrain’s pearling heritage. Through Blessings of Iridescence, they present a case of upcycle oyster shells (mother of pearls) discarded after pearl extraction. Disposing of these shells is not only a significant waste source but also disregards a potent material.
At Dubai Design Week 2023, Blessings of Iridescence will spotlight the material’s raw beauty by employing a pure, unadulterated texture and colour. The muse of the structure’s form is pearling dhows used by the divers, with seating areas representing valuable pearls.
Designest
Be Pigeon-holed
Created by architect Ahmad Alkattan, Designest modernises and reinvents the pigeon towers in the Arabian Peninsula. While the oblong structure will play host to (human) visitors under its shade, it also features actual pigeon nests concocted from reused toilet and kitchen paper rolls. Ultimately, the collected fertilisers (faeces) will be used to nourish district plants. These towering modules will be 3D-printed using recycled reinforced GRC (Glass Reinforced Concrete).
Prismatic Dreamscape
Be Consumed by the Vortex
Enter the ‘Prismatic Dreamscape,’ an immersive artistic creation by Vertical Design that transports you to a realm of duality and harmony. This eye-catching will seamlessly blend Neon lighting with sustainable cement tiles, merging the realms of art, design, and sustainability into a unified experience.
Within this exhibit, visitors will encounter twin glass structures, with one representing the vibrant essence of Earth and the other embodying the limitless expanse of the cosmos. The horizontal structure bursts with vibrant colors and intricate designs, anchoring you in the energy of our planet. Conversely, the vertical counterpart reaches for the cosmos, employing neon lights to craft dynamic interplays of lines and forms. Together, the installation will coax you on a sensorial journey.
‘Trouble’ by Jade Bailey & Oliver Hamedinger is an interactive sculpture constructed in collaboration with Sandhelden. It combines data and physical elements to explore future ecological possibilities and raise awareness about the climate crisis. At the same time, it pushes human collaboration with AI.
At the heart of ‘Trouble’ is a sand column made from CO2 emissions data. It’s generated by AI to resemble emission clouds and can be experienced through a mobile app. The sculpture’s structure, created with a mix of computer and human techniques, supports this column and can be repurposed for various uses.
Arabi-AN
Creativi-TEA at its best
Concepted and realised by MITSUBISHI JISHO DESIGN INC, Arabi-An will adopt a localised format following a successful showing at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale. In its entirety, the installation celebrates the social connections and interactions which brew over tea.
Using teahouses in the region as a muse, the designers have played with factors such as light and wind. Sustainability is central to its ambit. Replacing the ‘discarded pasta & coffee grounds’ seen in Venice’s rendition with localised food waste, such as ‘tea dregs & grapes’, is a testament to the firm’s pledge towards a greener and cleaner planet. Following its dismantling, these components can be re-utilised to craft bespoke furniture and art.
The Future Will Be Sown
Tangible and Tantalising
Conceived by sustainable Indian architecture studio, Made In Earth, this pop-up will spotlight understated material, plant fibres. Shipped to Dubai Design Week 2023 all the way from Banglore, the main star of this installation is a large hand-quilted fabric with a remarkable diaphanous quality. The natural, intricate textures, sheer volume and thermal quality of the pop-up is expected to herald a greener, more sentient future.
Geo Stacking Rocks
It’s All Fun and Games Until…
Concepted and realised by MITSUBISHI JISHO DESIGN INC, Arabi-An will adopt a localised format following a successful showing at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale. In its entirety, the installation celebrates the social connections and interactions which brew over tea.
Using teahouses in the region as a muse, the designers have played with factors such as light and wind. Sustainability is central to its ambit. Replacing the ‘discarded pasta & coffee grounds’ seen in Venice’s rendition with localised food waste, such as ‘tea dregs & grapes’, is a testament to the firm’s pledge towards a greener and cleaner planet. Following its dismantling, these components can be re-utilised to craft bespoke furniture and art.
Pulp Fractions
Paper, Pulp and Poise
Fast fashion and one-day deliveries are a modern marker of convenience. But, these practices lead to an over-production of paper and cardboard. Pulp Fractions by TEE VEE EFF have curated an installation with multiple modules, each of which can be stacked-unstacked and used for various purposes. Characterised by perforations that permit the gentle passage of wind and ambient light, the canopy is dynamic, transitioning into an illuminated spectacle at night.
Shaking Sanctuary
Come, Frolic in a Forest
“Shaking Sanctuary: Urban Shade,” by nngg Studio, uses innovative bendy rods to hold up canopies, creating an environment that responds to people’s movements, just like walking in a forest. The canopies have patterns inspired by the UAE’s native plants, creating beautiful shadows that connect with the local surroundings. Imagine if artificial forests could be that wonderful; how fun restoring natural verdure in our surroundings could be.
Lastly, visitors will also feast their eyes on Abwab commission winner, Emirati architect and founder of MULA design studio Abdalla Almulla’s large-scale pavilion called ‘Of Palm.’ The complete structure, interiors and additional design objects—will be crafted from various parts of palm trees from the UAE.
