Held in partnership with the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Design Days Dubai presents a cross-section of the world’s most exciting design with 125 designers represented by 50 exhibitors and over 350 works from 39 countries, alongside innovative premieres and special projects. 

Uniquely positioned as a fair of discovery, visitors will experience the vast variety and creativity that mark design today as well as having the opportunity to meet many of the designers and learn about their design process.

In support of the UK-UAE Year of Creative Collaboration, the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, the Emirate’s dedicated authority for Arts, Culture and Heritage, will host an exhibition of British contemporary design with Design Days Dubai. Curated by Suzanne Trocmé, award-winning designer/author/curator, ‘Britain Takes Shape’ will feature the work of 10 pioneers of British design. All of the designs on display have been produced in the UK as one-off pieces or in batch production and are shown for the first time in the UAE. Running alongside the exhibition, will be a series of talks and workshops hosted by the British-based designers, giving unparalleled access to UAE audiences.

Trocmé who has selected British designers and objects with a distinct and original design vocabulary said: "Spirited and gifted, the creators of the pieces collated for Britain Takes Shape, whether British by birth or by adoption and choice, are all pioneers in very different ways, some invigorating old industries, others pushing processes in the name of advancement. All pieces show individuality and the mark of the hand, whether in the design process or in physical construction. Britain Takes Shape offers a thoughtful journey into the minds of creators who are not afraid to push boundaries."

Design Days Dubai has established a reputation as a far-reaching international platform and this year welcomes debut exhibitors Leclaireur (Paris/LA), Territoire(s) (Paris/Dubai) and Todd Merrill Studio (NYC) bringing with them a range of highly-collectible contemporary creations from best-in-class American and European designers.

These include headline-grabbing Middle Eastern premieres suitable for either residential or commercial installation: ‘Metamorphosis’ bronze collection by pioneering French designer and Maître d'Art Pierre Bonnefille (Maître d'Art); the sparkling, over-sized ‘Flying Chair’ light installation by French sculptress Geraldine Gonzales, her most ambitious piece to date the unique; and, ‘Walking’ free-standing screen-scuplture by Irish designer Niamh Barry made of solid bronze inlaid with opaque glass and LED lights.

From the region, premieres abound including: Lebanese jewellery designer turned lighting designer Marie Munier’s Spirale II’, a hand-crafted brass and LED lighting sculpture (edition of 10); leading Emirati designer Aljoud Lootah’s hotly-anticipated first ceramic collection; a series of table innovatively combining wood and resin by emerging design duo Tarek Hreish and Farah Kayyal of Aperçu Designs, Jordan; and, new organic form-inspired wall pieces by Irish-born Dubai-based designer maker, Michael Rice.

On exhibiting for the first time, Rice said: “Design Days Dubai is the most exciting and important event of the year for me and no doubt many others in the design community, bringing together so much regional and international talent to such a highly visible stage, providing designers and makers a platform to really show what they can do along with the sales, marketing and networking opportunities, there really is nothing else quite like it.”

Parallel to the exhibitor programme is an exciting array of special projects as well as installations and live design-in-the-making performances from the likes of Dutch rising design duo Os & Oos; American Hardwood Export Council, which collaborates with seven UAE-based designers on its ‘Seed to Seat’ project; Coletivo Amor de Madre from Sao Paulo, exhibitors since launch edition in 2012; along with a curated audio landscape by Molecule Radio.

These special projects, combined with Design Days Dubai’s programme of talks and hands-on workshops which includes appearances by leading designers Sebastian Wrong (UK), Fabio Novembre (Italy) and Marko Brajovic (Brazil/Croatia), open the fair to a broader audience and ensure a visitor experience that will appeal to design enthusiasts, the design curious and collectors alike. “Design Days Dubai this year is about losing yourself to design,” said the fair’s Head of Programming, Rawan Kashkoush.

Design Days Dubai is owned and managed by Art Dubai Group and is held under Art Week, an umbrella initiative bringing together the UAE’s arts and culture-centred happenings in the month of March with the aim of promoting the cultural activities of the region to both residents and visitors.

For more information on Design Days Dubai, please visit the bi-lingual website, www.designdaysdubai.ae and follow the fair via a weekly newsletter, Facebook Instagram and Twitter  

About Design Days Dubai

Design Days Dubai is presented under the Patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and is held in partnership with the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, the Emirate’s dedicate Authority for culture, arts and heritage.

Returning for its sixth edition, Design Days Dubai is the Middle East and South Asia’s only annual fair dedicated to collectible modern and contemporary design works, this year taking place from March 14-17, 2017. Positioned as a fair of discovery, the fair’s unique format provides an international platform for the region’s emerging design studios and furniture makers to debut their contemporary designs, featuring them alongside an eclectic mix of the world’s leading design galleries. Running parallel to the exhibitor line-up is a programme of special projects, talks, workshops and guided tours allowing visitors to discover and engage with the design community and the works on display. 

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