DUBAI: The UAE’s Downtown Design, which is part of the Dubai Design Week festival, is set to return, this time with a new addition to its creative displays, Madar, from Nov. 13-15.
Dubai Design Week features a free-to-attend program that is made up of more than 200 events covering a range of disciplines including architecture, product design, interiors, multimedia and graphic design.
Madar is a curated exhibition of regional talent, with designs being showcased from around 50 contributors, according to guest curator Ghassan Salameh.
Salameh’s exhibition, which is presented within Downtown Design (a dedicated showcase of bespoke and limited-edition designs by established and emerging designers) will focus on regional design. The exhibition will shed light on the current movements in the design market.
The interactive exhibition will present insights into the state of design in the region, mapping out creative activity from Beirut, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
“The idea this year was to highlight regional design because … Dubai has enough resources to become the link between different design industries in the region. Dubai is always promoting itself as the creative hub of the region so this is to further concretize this with actual concrete steps,” Salameh told Arab News.
As part of Madar, Salameh said the exhibition will feature works from different categories related to design. “There’s going to be design research, material innovation, digital fabrication, craft preservation. We’re going to also talk about the organizations that are supporting designers,” he said.
“We’re selecting projects that are pushing towards innovation, experimentation, sustainability, design for social impact, responsible design … We’re focusing on design that’s thoughtful,” said Salameh.
In honor of the UAE’s Year of Tolerance, bespoke rug studio Hands will unveil a piece inspired by children’s artworks. The proceeds will benefit the UAE-based Senses charity.
In anticipation of Expo 2020, Dubai Design Week will also house more country pavilions, including presentations from France and Spain.
One-hundred new brands will be displayed alongside returning exhibitors, with representatives from 30 countries in this year’s edition.
Key brands returning to the festival include Arper, whose ranges are inspired by its design ethos, and Atelier Swarovski, which will present a collaboration with the Spanish designer Tomas Alonso.
