Dubai Design Week, the annual celebration of design and global meeting point for the international design industry is now open

October 25, 2016: Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) and a driving force for the development of Dubai as a global creative centre, today opened the second edition of Dubai Design Week (24-29 October 2016). Held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman, Dubai Culture in partnership with Dubai Design District (d3), and supported by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Dubai Design Week is set to enthrall the city once more, strengthening Dubai’s position as a global hub for the design and creative industries.

Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, said: “Dubai is playing a pivotal role regionally in creating a dialogue and space for conversations across creative industries. Dubai Design Week acts as an active catalyst to these interactions, bringing together different schools of thought across the design industry and from around the world. Together, these groups can showcase the fruition of their work right here in Dubai to answer aesthetic, functional, and forward looking elements through design. With Dubai Design Week, we look to engage our public in this conversation, inspire our youth to actively seek participation in the creative industries, and stimulate their imaginations, ambitions and originality to lead Dubai’s progress as a leading international hub of innovation.” Her Highness added, “Following last year’s success of the inaugural event, we will see the return of the Global Grad Show, which has already trebled its size for the second edition of Dubai Design Week, with leading design schools and programs from around the world and the region taking part. This year sees local talent flourish at the show with four local universities participating for the first time. We will also see the return of Dubai Design Week’s signature project ‘Abwab’, where the UAE is represented as one of the six pavilions. We look forward to seeing this event grow year on year and inspire all who attend and interact with it.”

The second edition of Dubai Design Week will take place across the city with over 550 designers participating in a six-day celebration of ground-breaking design and ideas, free for all to attend. Key facts include:

- Dubai Design Week doubles in size, dynamic and diverse, with over 150 events across the city

- Downtown Design, establishes itself is the only trade show in the Middle East for professionals to discover original, high quality design from across the world and doubles its registrations

- Global Grad Show, the world’s largest graduate degree show trebles in size with 145 projects from 50 universities worldwide, including 9 from the region

- Taking advantage of the remarkable educational opportunity, more than 2,500 students from 47 schools and universities in the UAE to visit – register to attend

- Abwab explores the human senses with design pavilions from six regional countries, giving an international platform for regional designers

- Cairo takes centre stage as this design week’s featured ‘Iconic City’ - d3 remains pivotal location as the event’s commercial design hub and an ‘open museum’ of

design - Audi Middle East in partnership with Dubai Design Week announces the first Audi Innovation

Award design contest, calling for designers in the Middle East to create innovative design solutions that demonstrate ‘significant positive change’ around the theme ‘Alternative’. Dubai Design Week is an advocate for the design community to grow, develop, thrive and succeed as it provides a stage for designers and design programmes from the local and international communities. The annual event embraces the vast potential of designers and their works and presents it to the audience to discover and engage in diversity and richness through exhibitions, installations, talk and workshops, and satellite events. d3’s Chief Operating Officer, Mohammad Saeed Al Shehhi, says: ”d3 is once again delighted to welcome the second edition of Dubai Design Week to Dubai and our district. Celebrating design from across the region and further afield, Dubai Design Week truly demonstrates d3’s commitment to enabling Dubai to become a leading global design hub by providing a platform for the creative industry to unite, create and be inspired.’’ With an ambitious and broad-ranging agenda, Dubai Design Week aims to make a statement as bold and attention-grabbing as the spirit of the city itself, while encouraging the world to look beyond the expected and discover the balance of imagination and innovation that drives Dubai forward. Rawan Kashkoush, Head of Programming at Dubai Design Week said: “As a fast-emerging global design capital that inspires designers around the world, Dubai Design Week acts as a vibrant platform for showcasing their works and fosters the next generation of design talent.”

PROGRAMME SUMMARY SATELLITE DESIGN EVENTS ACROSS THE CITY More than 150 events over six days in d3 and across the city Local retailers, design brands, galleries, universities and institutions will all independently stage events, exhibitions or installations throughout Dubai to invite visitors to discover design by exploring new neighbourhoods and reconnecting with the more familiar. Uncover the creative heart of industrial Dubai through DRAK at Ras-Al-Khor; watch artisans at work and push the door to open studios in d3; wander through Alserkal Avenue and Al Quoz stopping off for chocolate tours, gemology seminars, machine building and more; and, shop cutting-edge design in Jumeriah’s concept stores. ••• DOWNTOWN DESIGN A design trade fair of discovery The commercial centrepiece of the fair, Downtown Design is curated to ensure that the experience brings together a collection of relevant exhibitors in the market. This year sees Downtown Design with 100 brands participating from 28 countries presenting top-quality, original products from furniture and lighting to textiles and accessories. The show features a dedicated Italian Luxury Interiors pavilion presented by the Italian Trade Agency and has also partnered with six international Design Weeks (Addis Ababa, Barcelona, Beirut, Reykjavik, and Taipei) bringing together an eclectic mix of indigenous materials, skills, industrial techniques and craftsmanship to highlight each country’s individual cultural context. ••• GLOBAL GRAD SHOW 50 universities from 30 countries around the world present the next generation of innovation Global Grad Show, the exhibition of innovation, inventions and technology from students across the world, returns to Dubai Design Week as the largest international gathering of design graduates ever with 145 projects showcasing innovation, inventions and technology from 50 leading universities in 30 countries. Following in the footsteps of famed student inventions, such as the electron microscope from the University of Toronto, the television from the University of Berlin, and Google from Stanford, Global Grad Show will showcase thought-provoking projects that will create our future by the world’s next generation of design innovators. Curated by Brendan McGetrick, Global Grad Show highlights designs that Empower, Sustain and Connect.

••• ABWAB An exhibition dedicated to exploring the design narrative of countries within the MENASA (Middle East, North Africa and South Asia) region Dubai Design Week aims to provide an international platform to showcase the region’s rich and diverse design landscape. Abwab, meaning doors in Arabic, literally presents a gateway for six countries – Algeria, Bahrain, India, Iraq, Palestine and UAE – to exhibit a range of special commissions revolving around the theme ‘The Human Senses’. Six purpose-built pavilions, by newly-formed UAE-based architects a hypothetical office, will be integrated into the walkways of d3, taking visitors on a design journey across the region. ••• ICONIC CITY: CAIRO NOW! CITY INCOMPLETE A look at the city’s various stages of completion through design Dubai Design Week has selected Cairo as the focus of this year’s Iconic City exhibition, a series of annual exhibitions launched in 2015 that explores the culture and design scene of individual cities within the Middle East. Cairo Now! A City Incomplete captures for the first time under one roof the Egyptian capital’s current design landscape and celebrates innovation and emerging talent in the fields of product, furniture, graphic and typeface design as well as architecture. Curated by Cairo-based architect, independent researcher and writer Mohamed Elshahed, over 65 Egyptian architects, designers, entrepreneurs and graphic artists will contribute to a presentation, inspired by the city’s infamous red brick housing stock that appears in varying stages of completion across the capital. ••• INSTALLATIONS

Challenging convention and exploring innovation Visually engaging with its unconventional and creative take on Dubai’s diversity, Dubai Design Week’s high-impact sculptural, architectural and experiential public installations have been created by a handpicked selection of renowned international and local designers, artists and architects and will be positioned at strategic locations around the city, including the iconic Burj Khalifa. Burj Khalifa has commissioned two regional design studios, Studio Mr. White and Yasuke Murakami + Tangent, to light up Burj Khalifa each night of Design Week.

Whilst in d3, Dubai Design Week’s partner Swarovski makes its design week debut with a specially-commissioned outdoor installation ‘hexalite’ by Emirati designer Zeinab Al Hashemi. ‘hexalite’ challenges audiences to interact with their surroundings through its shimmering, kaleidoscopic perspectives.

Featuring: EMO_DCI by Maja Kozel, Teun Verbeek and Juliette Wermenbol, supported by Dutch Creative Industry (DCI), d3 • hexalite by Zeinab Al Hashemi, presented by Swarovski, d3 • Left Impression by Latifa Saeed and Talin Hazbar, commissioned by Tashkeel, d3 • Mapping the Burj DCI by Studio Mr. White, Burj Khalifa • Ascension DCI by Yusuke Murakami + Tangent, Burj Khalifa • Takki W Hakki by Think Tank Co, supported by 1971 – Design Space, Rove Downtown Dubai • Through the Lens designed by Amer Aldour, Anjali Srinivasan, Emanuela Corti and Ivan Parati from Caravan, and Bahar Al Bahar, supported by

Galeries Lafayette • Design 2.0 by Waqas Maqsood, Jumana Ismail and the Attic,

powered by the Huawei Matebook, d3

••• TALKS AND WORKSHOPS Discussions and educational events about design in Dubai and beyond Dubai Design Week will not only turn the city into a week-long showcase of ground-breaking design from the Middle East and beyond, but will also be underpinned by an impressive roster of over 30 lectures, workshops, keynotes and panel discussions are aimed at a range of visitors from seasoned design professionals and students, to design aficionados and children. Held at d3, Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, architect of the UAE' National Pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020, kicks off the programme delivering design week’s opening keynote; with Dubai Design Week sponsor Huawei leads a series of graphic design workshops powered by Huawei Matebook, to explore how graphic design, infographics and motion graphics can be powerful storytelling tools in social, political and cultural contexts. Professor Yasser Elsheshtawy, curator of the UAE’s pavilion at the 2016 Venice Biennale, hosts a Curating Architecture Masterclass; and, Autodesk Remake and Fusion 360 host two workshops to demonstrate how the latest 3D printing software can help designers re-create or improve existing products. Also for the first time in the region, The Royal College of Art, the world’s leading Art and Design University, will host a series of three design workshops, subsidized by Dubai Design Week in partnership with d3. •••

FAMILY WEEKEND AT d3 (28-29 October) Fun for all ages with two days of community-led design-focussed activities

On the weekend of 28–29 October, there will be activities abound for families and friends at d3. Alongside Dubai Design Week’s exhibitions and installations will be a two-day pop-up design and food market courtesy of community-led food and craft initiative Ripe Market, live stage performances and children’s workshops including doll-making making workshops led by Dubai-based textile artist Vinny and interior design workshop (ages 7+) hosted by LConcept.

More than 12 of the region’s most popular YouTube Creators will be making an appearance on Friday 28 as part of YouTube’s Creators Meet-Up where visitors can get behind the play button and even capture a video with their favourite YouTube Creator. For those wanting to try their hand at design, they can grab a and join Urban Sketchers as they spread across d3 to sketch a variety of spaces and objects; book lovers can head to the Dar Al Hikma Pop-up, the UAE’s oldest book store. ••• NOTES TO EDITORS For more information about the Installations and Dubai Design Week, visit www.dubaidesignweek.ae @Dubaidesignweek | #DXBDW | #DXBDW2016 Press enquiries, please contact: Ciara Phillips | Roula Nasr ciara@dubaidesignweek.ae | roula@dubaidesignweek.ae | +971 (0)4 551 4345

ABOUT DUBAI DESIGN WEEK Dubai Design Week is one of the world’s newest and most ambitious international design events, conceived to shine a spotlight on Dubai as a leading design hub, and share the UAE’s thriving design scene with the world at large. Dubai Design Week was established in 2015 in partnership with Dubai Design District (d3), and is held under the dedicated patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, a strategic partner of the event. Dubai Design Week is also supported by Dubai Design & Fashion Council, Audi, Huawei and Swarovski.

In Dubai’s collaborative spirit, and as a reflection of the city’s global outlook, its design week is both regional and international in scope, encompasses public and private spheres, culture, education and entertainment, and spans multiple disciplines, ranging from graphic and product design to architecture and industrial design. Panels, keynote speeches, panel discussions, public performances and educational workshops all contribute to the greater discussion of what design means for the region and the world. In 2015, 23,000 visitors from around the world gathered in the city to discover the work and ideas of over 150 designers drawn from around the region and internationally. The success of the inaugural edition cemented the future of Dubai Design Week as an annual event. Coinciding with Downtown Design, the region’s leading, quality-driven design trade fair, Dubai Design Week also includes a number of unique headline initiatives, such as Abwab, the Global Grad Show, Destination and Iconic City. From 24 to 29 October 2016, over 150 events will be staged in a citywide 6-day celebration of design that will enthrall Dubai with design, engaging the local community and visitors alike. www.dubaidesignweek.ae ABOUT DUBAI DESIGN DISTRICT

Dubai Design District, (d3), one of the TECOM Group’s communities, is a destination

dedicated to design. The chosen home for the region’s growing collective of creatives, artists

and designers, d3, has fast become the hub for inspiration and innovation. Created to

answer the growing need from the industry, d3 provides businesses, entrepreneurs and

individuals from across the design value chain with a thriving community where they can

collaborate, create and inspire.

Known for its versatility d3 has become a popular events space, attracting international

crowds to cultural exhibitions such as Dubai Design Week, Fashion Forward, Sole DXB and

Meet d3, which have simultaneously driven footfall to d3’s distinguished repertoire of

design-focused outlets, art galleries and eateries.

With this year’s launch of lifestyle boutiques, art galleries and culinary concepts in its core

11 buildings, the Design Quarter, d3 is very much alive. Taking a novel approach, d3 has

selected a mix of original homegrown and international concepts to form a creative

community of new retail outlets, restaurants and innovative pop-up events that invite

visitors to enjoy a more authentic shopping and dining experience.

d3 is constantly evolving. To cater to its growing number of residents, d3 will feature a one

million square foot Creative Community which is currently under construction, and will act

as the site’s cultural epicenter, inspiring emerging designers and artists. Another key goal for

d3 is to continually surpass the expectations of its visitors, and so d3 will also boast a

bustling 1.8km Waterfront development running alongside the Dubai Creek, with

international and design-led hotels, boutique retail concept stores and an outdoor events

space, as well as a host of hospitality and leisure facilities.

To support its many creative partners, d3 offers individuals and businesses the choice of

operating either as a free zone entity or as an on-shore business, each with its own merits.

www.dubaidesigndistrict.com

ABOUT DUBAI CULTURE & ARTS AUTHORITY

The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) was launched on March 8, 2008 by His

Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister

and Ruler of Dubai, in order to drive the growth of the city’s artistic and cultural landscape.

The Authority has grown to play a major role in the realisation of the Dubai Plan 2021, to

highlight Dubai as a thriving capital for creative industries and further embed the Emirate’s

credentials as a city of happy, creative and empowered people.

As part of its mandate, Dubai Culture has several initiatives that are focused on

strengthening both the historic and modern cultural fabric of Dubai, including Dubai Art

Season - the city’s premier umbrella arts initiative which kicks off with Emirates Airline

Festival of Literature and encompasses Art Week including Art Dubai, Design Days Dubai,

and SIKKA Art Fair, Middle East Film & Comic Con, SIKKA Art Fair - an annual event aimed at

promoting Emirati and local artists in the UAE and the wider GCC region, Dubai Festival for

Youth Theatre - an annual festival that fosters the art of theatre in the UAE and that is

celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2016, and Dubai Next - a dynamic platform that aims to

showcase the Emirate’s cultural ethos and its vibrant creative scene on the global stage.

The Authority’s other key initiatives include Creatopia (www.creatopia.ae) - the nation’s first

government empowered virtual community that guides and nurtures the creative culture of

the nation and provides a platform of information and opportunities that lead to exposure

and personal growth.

Dubai Culture also plays a leading role in support of the UAE National Strategy for Reading

2026, in particular by undertaking a major refurbishment of all Dubai Public Libraries

branches to transform them into state-of-art cultural and artistic hubs. Across all of its

branches, Dubai Public Library also provides children and young adults with a range of

educational and entertaining activities that encourage the use of its facilities. The ‘Our

Summer is Filled with Culture & Arts Programme’ is a Dubai Public Library initiative which

complements the UAE National Reading Strategy, with its activities open to all age groups,

and which revolve around four key themes: happiness, reading, family and the future.

The Authority also manages more than 17 heritage sites across the Emirate, and is a key

government stakeholder in the development of the Dubai Historical District. As the

custodian Authority of Dubai’s museum sector, Dubai Culture will officially launch Etihad

Museum in December 2016. The museum will provide a platform to encourage cultural

exchange and to connect Emirati youth with their culture and history. As part of the

Authority’s mandate to support Dubai’s vision of becoming the focal point of diverse cultural

exchange (regionally & globally), all of its museums will provide a catalyst to preserve

Emirati Heritage.

For more information on Dubai Culture, visit www.dubaiculture.gov.ae

ABOUT AUDI

The Audi Group, with its brands Audi, Ducati and Lamborghini, is one of the most successful

manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the premium segment. It is present in

more than 100 markets worldwide and produces at 16 locations in twelve countries. In the

second half of 2016, the production of the Audi Q5 will start in San José Chiapa (Mexico).

100 percent subsidiaries of AUDI AG include quattro GmbH (Neckarsulm), Automobili

Lamborghini S.p.A. (Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy) and Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (Bologna,

Italy).

In 2015, the Audi Group delivered to customers approximately 1.8 million automobiles of

the Audi brand, 3,245 sports cars of the Lamborghini brand and about 54,800 motorcycles of

the Ducati brand. In the 2015 financial year, AUDI AG achieved total revenue of €58.4 billion

and an operating profit of €4.8 billion. At present, approximately 85,000 people work for the

company all over the world, about 60,000 of them in Germany. Audi focuses on new

products and sustainable technologies for the future of mobility.

AUDI AG’s commitment to the region was confirmed through the foundation of its fully

owned subsidiary in 2005. The current Middle East model range comprises the Audi A3 & S3

Sedan/Sportback and RS 3 Sportback, A4 and RS 4 Avant, the A5 Coupe, Sportback, Cabriolet

and RS 5 Coupe and Cabriolet, the A6, S6, RS 6 performance, A7, S7, RS 7 & RS 7

performance, A8, A8 L, S8 & S8 plus, the Audi Q3, Q5 & SQ5, Q7 and the Audi TT

Coupe/Roadster and TTS Coupe, the Audi R8 Coupe as well as the R8 Coupe V10 plus.

www.audi-dubai.com

ABOUT HUAWEI CONSUMER BUSINESS GROUP (CBG)

Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG) is one of Huawei's three business groups, providing

a range of products including mobile phones, mobile broadband (MBB) devices and home

devices. Huawei’s products and services are available in more than 170 countries, and are

used by a third of the world’s population, ranking third in the world in mobile phone

shipments in 2016.

As a leading technology company, Huawei invests a significant amount of its annual sales

revenue to research and development efforts, and has established 16 research centers

around the world. Among these facilities is the Huawei Aesthetics Research Center in Paris,

where French luxury brands work with Huawei’s engineers to align technology with future

fashion trends. Huawei’s newest R&D center is the Max Berek Innovation Lab in Wetzler,

Germany, where Huawei and Leica are jointly researching technologies to improve mobile

device camera and image quality. Huawei also has more than 10 open labs in China, Europe

and other locations, where it works with more than 600 partners.

In 2016, Huawei ranked 72 on the Interbrand’s 2016 Best Global Brands report. The

company has seen continuously risen on Interbrand’s list after it became the first mainland

Chinese brand to be recognized as a 'Best Global Brand' in 2014.

Huawei CBG shares its vision with people who pursue their dreams, people who are

visionary challengers, people who are proactive with a strong belief in striving to achieve

their goals. Huawei is dedicated to bringing the latest technology to consumers and creating

extraordinary experiences for people everywhere.

www.huawei.com

ABOUT SWAROVSKI

Swarovski delivers a diverse portfolio of unmatched quality, craftsmanship, and creativity

that goes beyond the manufacturing of crystal. Founded in 1895 in Austria, Swarovski

designs, manufactures, and markets high-quality crystals, genuine gemstones and created

stones, and finished products such as jewelry, accessories, and lighting. In addition,

Swarovski Crystal Worlds was established as a unique venue dedicated to showcasing artistic

interpretations of crystal. Swarovski Entertainment collaborates with established industry

partners and exceptional talent to produce international feature films, while the Swarovski

Foundation supports creativity and culture, promotes wellbeing, and conserves natural

resources. Now run by the fifth generation of family members, Swarovski Crystal Business

has a global reach with approximately 2,480 stores in around 170 countries, more than

24,000 employees, and revenue of about 2.33 billion euros in 2013. Together with its sister

companies Swarovski Optik (optical devices) and Tyrolit (abrasives), Swarovski Crystal

Business forms the Swarovski Group. In 2013, the Group generated revenue of about 3.02

billion euros and employed more than 30,000 people.

www.swarovskigroup.com