Design Days Dubai has always been positioned as “a fair of discovery” and can be credited with almost single-handedly putting Dubai on the international design map. While initially envisaged as a platform for vintage design, it quickly evolved into a leading showcase for contemporary collectible pieces, and is the only fair dedicated to limited-edition design in the Middle East and South Asia. It has also emerged as a much-needed launch pad for regional talent. The sixth edition of the event will take place from March 14 to 17, at a new venue within Dubai Design District (d3), and will present 50 exhibitors, along with a range of special projects.
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Are these Design Days Dubai items in your budget? - in pictures
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There will be more than 350 design objects available for purchase, at a range of prices from US$500 (Dh1,836) to $75,000, appealing to aspiring and seasoned collectors alike. “There is exciting, and often experimental, work being produced by designers who aren’t necessarily represented by galleries, and the fair offers an opportunity for solo designers and independent studios to exhibit at an international level,” says Rawan Kashkoush, head of programming for the event. “For design enthusiasts, Design Days Dubai is an annual fixture to meet designers from all over the world and acquire collectible design not seen anywhere else.” Here are some of the things that we’re most looking forward to seeing:
1. In process
Visitors to the show will be able to witness live design-in-the-making performances from the Dutch design duo Os & Oos, also known as Sophie Mensen and Oskar Peet. The duo have a long-held fascination with light, which has manifested itself in their Primary Fluorescents series – lamps that combine minimal fluorescent tubing with what looks like concrete (but is actually aluminium), in a striking juxtaposition of hardness and fragility, lightness and heaviness, and the breakable and unbreakable. In daily demonstrations entitled The Journey of Illumination by Os & Oos, Mensen and Peet will uncover the design process behind their Primary Fluorescents lights, by carving styrofoam with a “hot-wire” to create the shapes required for producing precise yet cost-efficient moulds.
2. Jewel in the crown
The French jewellery house Van Cleef & Arpels, a long-time supporter of Design Days, is once again running the Middle East Emergent Designer Prize. During the fair, the jewellery house will also host a gouache drawing workshop, which will throw light on how a piece of jewellery is first conceived and brought to life; and the Porcelain de Sèvres workshop, which will showcase traditional jewellery-making techniques that date back more than 250 years.
3. Seed to seat
The American Hardwood Export Council is collaborating with seven prominent UAE designers on its Seed to Seat project, in an effort to demonstrate that sustainability can also have substance. The stellar line-up of designers, which includes the likes of Fadi Sarieddine, Tarik Al Zaharna and Pallavi Dean, was asked simply “to design something to sit on”, using four types of wood: American cherry, tulipwood, soft maple or red oak. All materials, energy usage, transport and wastage have been recorded to assess the true environmental impact of each completed piece.
4. Local talent
The number of regional and local designers at the sixth edition of Design Days is testament to how far the local design industry has come since the show’s launch, and how instrumental Design Days has been in developing and supporting new talent. The inaugural edition of Design Days featured one gallery from the UAE and a couple of special projects from the region. This year, there’s a plethora of regional and local design talent on show – including Emirati designer Aljoud Lootah’s first collection made from ceramics; original acrylic paintings and hand-knotted carpets by the Dubai-based Carpets CC; outlandish new creations from Lebanon’s ever-colourful Vick Vanlian; a contemporary take on majlis seating from Qatari designer Aisha Al Sowaidi; The Sanctuary by Ayah Al Bitar, a storage solution aimed at facilitating the act of prayer or other meditative rituals; and new, organic wall pieces and glass works by Dubai-based Irish artist and academic Michael Rice, whose work is pictured here.
5. The sound of design
Apical Reform will present a novel concept during this year’s Design Days. In a tribute to Dubai, the Indian design studio is creating an installation called Sonuslexica, which is an exploration of sound technology. The studio has invited a cross-section of Emiratis and expats in the UAE to record the words “peace”, “harmony”, “diversity”, “respect”, “growth” and “happiness” in their native languages and dialects. The sound samples were then transformed into 3-D visualisations, which in turn were transformed into wooden totems. The shape of each totem is a true representation of the sonic waves produced by the words. The installation is presented in an iceberg-like form, with a representation of the Dubai skyline up top and the sentiments of peace, harmony, diversity, respect, growth and happiness depicted as the roots of the city and the foundations upon which it’s built. It’s billed as a “tangible representation of the spirit of the emirate”. In addition, as part of the Design Days programme, d3-based restaurant Molecule will operate Molecule Radio, a live stream of eclectic world beats, as well as interviews with regional and international designers.
6. Design for good
Sao Paulo-based creative platform Coletivo Amor de Madre, which has been exhibiting at Design Days since its launch, will return this year to showcase an innovative product that can be used to extract oil from rivers, the sea and soil, and can also be used as a sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging solution. Consisting of foam, which can be made from a range of organic matter, including bamboo, the product was created by Atelier Marko Brajovic, in conjunction with a biochemistry lab in Brazil. “We understand design as a tool to improve life,” Coletivo Amor De Madre founder Olivia Yassudo Faria says. “We have been researching upcoming technologies and new material development using renewable resources, focused on solving current environmental issues.” Faria will be joined in Dubai by architect Marko Brajovic, who specialises in organic design and the use of bamboo in construction. He will be launching his new book, In Nature We Trust, during the show.
7. A touch of vintage
For the first time since its launch edition in 2012, Design Days will showcase some examples of vintage design, courtesy of the UAE’S MCML Studio, which specialises in mid-century modern pieces from the 1950s to the 1970s.
8. Best of British
In support of the UK/UAE Year of Creative Collaboration, the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority will host an exhibition of British contemporary design during Design Days. Curated by Suzanne Trocmé, author, curator and editor-at-large of Wallpaper magazine, the Britain Takes Shape exhibition will feature the work of 10 pioneering British designers. All of the pieces on display, including the Species chaise by Fredrikson Stallard pictured here, have been produced in Britain as one-offs or in batch production, and are being shown for the first time in the UAE.
9. Talks and presentations
Design Days will host various talks, workshops and presentations, including an opening keynote by the famed designer Fabio Novembre, courtesy of the Italian Embassy, Consulate General and Italian Trade Commission. As part of the Britain Takes Shape initiative, the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority will host two talks at the new Etihad Museum, including a discussion on the impact that art can have on the development of a city, hosted by Juan Cruz, dean of fine art at the Royal College of Art. Meanwhile, Tashkeel will hold a workshop on poster design, and Emirati designer Khalid Shafar will join forces with Silo Studio and Emily Johnson of 1882 to discuss the importance of safeguarding craft.
10. First-timers
There are plenty of old favourites at this year’s show, but also some noteworthy international newcomers, such as Todd Merrill Studio, a leading voice in contemporary collectible design based in the United States; Leclaireur, a Paris- and Los Angeles-based concept store and gallery; and Territoire(s), presenting stunning examples of contemporary French design. All of the one-off or limited-edition works displayed by Territoire(s) exist in the cross-section between art and design, including the sparkling, over-sized Flying Chair otherwise known as Ceci N’est Pas une Chaise, by Geraldine Gonzales, pictured here.
Design Days Dubai at Dubai Design District is open from 3pm to 9pm on March 14 to 16 and 1pm to 7pm on March 17.
