Design Days Dubai
‘Exciting.’ ‘Dynamic.’ ‘Explosive.’
Over the past decade, such words have defined contemporary art in
the Middle East with Dubai emerging as an important global hub.
While art’s younger
sibling design has been enjoying a global boom, it has yet to really
impact the region’s consciousness; Design Days Dubai, the Middle
East’s first fair for collectible and limited-edition design, is
setting out to change that.
It is only natural that a
city like Dubai hosts such an event: its forward thinking, bold
vision and pursuit of excellence perfectly match the sophistication
and creativity of the design being presented during Design Days
Dubai. By committing to our inaugural edition (17-21 March 2012),
the galleries and designers were demonstrating similar boldness and
vision.
While bringing high
quality design to the doorstep of local collectors is a big aim, the
fair has a deeper agenda: presenting design to a wider audience in
order to promote greater appreciation and understanding; fostering
and promoting emerging local design talent; strengthening Dubai’s
connections with the global design and art community; and becoming a
vibrant addition to our burgeoning cultural scene.
To this end we were proud
to partner with some of the most important institutions in the
region; Tashkeel (Dubai), AUS (American
University of Sharjah College of Architecture, Art and Design),
VCU Qatar (Virginia Commonwealth University, Qatar), and ECAL (Lausanne,
Switzerland) have been contributing to the regional design and art
community agenda. Their continuous support for cultural design
excellence manifests in strategic planning and
programme development which aims to redefine creative
cultural practice in the region. We also launched the Arab Design
Map (ADAM), an experimental initiative presented by Pink Tank and
Fikra Design Studio.
The relaxed atmosphere
and open format for the fair are conscious choices to help make
design accessible and more understandable to everyone that attends.
Through the fair itself, as well as the accompanying programme of
workshops, talks and seminars being offered, to both design
professionals and the public, Design Days Dubai has offered direct
access to designers, collectors and gallerists – thus, inviting
conversation and questions, encouraging discussion and stimulating
debate that will provide some clues about the future of design in
the region.
None of this would be
possible without the trust and support we have received from Dubai
Culture & Arts Authority, Van Cleef & Arpels, Emaar, The Address
Hotels + Resorts, Audi, the Bespoke Design exhibitors and our
official suppliers and media partners. There is no doubt that the
reward will be the emergence of Design Days as a great annual
cultural event in the UAE and the region.
I invite you all to mark
in your agenda the dates for next year’s fair (18-21 March, 2013)
and to join us in Dubai on this occasion.
Cyril Zammit
Fair Director |
