During the inaugural DUBAI DESIGN WEEK (DXBDW) we had the chance to witness local and international designs on the grounds of the “under-construction” Dubai Design District, as well as other locations across the entire emirate, such as universities, organisations, stores and galleries.

Some of the highlights of this citywide event are listed below. They are but a small taste of the vibrant atmosphere and booming potential of DUBAI as an emerging international hub for art and design.

>>> ABWAD (“doors” in Arabic) was a series of six pavilions which were built to celebrate and showcase the work of local designers, studios and curators from six different countries from the MENASA region (Middle East - North Africa - South Asia);integrated into the walkways of the d3 inside were six unique structures/containers designed by Dubai-based LOCI architects, which incorporated an innovative use of a local material, namely sand. The interior of each of these six pavilions was curated by talented locals from Jordan (Arini Creative Platforms), Kuwait (Waleed Shaalan), Pakistan (Salman Jawed), Saudi Arabia (Basma and Noura Bouzo), Tunisia (Chacha Atallah) and the UAE (Mobius Design Studio); all the pavilions were united under “The Element of Play in Culture” theme and the creative direction of Rawan Kashkoush. The “Untitled Swing Project” inside the Jordan pavilion and Tunisia’s “999” three-dimensional puzzle were definitely two of our favourites!