A Design Lover’s Delight

Now in its sixth year, Design Days Dubai is the place to see up-and-coming creative talent from not just the UAE but all over the world. Here’s a mere snapshot of what this month’s event has in store…

Whether you’re seeking collectible objets d’art, cutting edge lighting or the latest furniture trends from far and wide, Design Days Dubai should be a highlight of your diary. Running for four days in cultural quarter d3, the event features a diverse schedule of talks, workshops, installations and live performance, enabling visitors to discover and engage with the design community and the works on display.

Supported by Dubai Culture and d3, the public programme is part of the fair’s ongoing advocacy of art and design in the emirate and region at large. We’ve perused the listings and profiled some of the ones that caught our eye.

WORKSHOP: The How and Why of Parametric Design
Parametric design is a process based on algorithmic thinking that enables the expression of parameters and rules that, together, define, encode and clarify the relationship between design intent and design response. Of particular relevance to architects, designers and visual artists, this masterclass will be led by Dutch architect Kas Oosterhuis, who will discuss the phenomenon using an interactive lecture app and through active input by the audiences.
4.30pm-6.30pm, Tuesday, 14 March, The Studio.
Participants must bring their own laptops, tablets or smartphones

AUDI INNOVATION TALKS: Discussion panel with awards judges
Aisha Alsager, Brendan McGetrick and Salem Al Qassimi will explore the fundamental principles behind great design solutions. Al Qassimi is a designer, entrepreneur and assistant professor of design at the American University of Sharjah, as well as the founder of multidisciplinary design studio Fikra. McGetrick is an independent writer, editor and designer who has curated exhibitions across the world, including the Russian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale, for which he was awarded a jury prize. Architect and researcher Alsager has worked on a variety of projects in New York, Boston and Kuwait City.
5pm-6pm, Wednesday, 15 March, Audi Lounge

TALK: Mehran Gharleghi, studio
INTEGRATE
Mehran Gharleghi’s work employs sophisticated design and analysis tools along with rigorous physical material studies. An architect, researcher and educator, he looks to synthesise design and performance, establishing new relationships with the built environment and ultimately leading to novel spatial experiences. Gharleghi will present a holistic overview of the development of 3D printing and its influence on a number of industries dependent industries such as food.
5pm-6pm, Thursday 16 March, Audi Lounge

BOOK LAUNCH: In Nature We Trust
Marko Brajovic is a Croatian-born, Brazil-based multidisciplinary designer and will attend Design Days Dubai to present his new book. In Nature We Trust features selected work produced by Atelier Marko Brajovic over the past decade and is divided in three macro themes: Manifesto, Key Strategy Files and Selected Works from 2006 to 2016. Rich in high-definition images, diagrams, technical drawings and theoretical texts, the title is geared towards architects, designers, scenographers and artists as well anyone who would like to learn more about biomimicry as a design strategy.
Discussion: 7pm-8pm, The Studio; book launch:
8pm-8.30pm, Atlas Bookstore; both events
Wednesday, 15 March

WORKSHOP: Experimental Arabic
Typography as Architectural Skin
This session will teach the basic principles of designing an Arabic typeface and demonstrate the evolving possibilities of using Arabic letters. Intended for design students and professionals from various disciplines, including graphics, architecture, furniture, textiles and jewellery, it will concentrate on the potential of Arabic typeface design as material for creating ornamental surfaces. Letters will be treated as formal elements that test the limits of readability. Urban and architectural elements from the cityscape of Dubai will form the starting point of this typographical exploration, which will also serves as a concept development session for potential typographical projects.
4.30pm-6.30pm, Thursday 16 March, The Studio

WORKSHOP: Sound Matters:
Designing for Better Acoustics
An environment that is too reverberant or has acoustic damping leads to poor clarity in speech and music. This workshop is an investigation into the different materials and spatial parameters necessary for optimal acoustic performance of retail, office space, residential, hospitality and performance venues. Through an engaging discussion with the audience, various tools will be provided to enhance functional environmental acoustics. The workshop will be led by Fouad Bechwati of Beirut-based acoustic solutions firm 21dB.
2pm-4pm, Friday 17 March, The Studio

TALK: This is My Job
The curator of the exhibition Britain Takes Shape, the designer and author Suzanne Trocmé, will moderate a discussion between prolific UK-based designers Sebastian Wrong, Kim Thomé, Philip Michael Wolfson and Brodie Neil. They will consider a question put forward by Wrong: “Should designers look after production themselves, or sell their ideas?” This event forms part of Britain Takes Shape, an exhibition by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority running for the UK/UAE 2017 Year of Creative Collaboration.
7pm-8.30pm, Tuesday, 14 March, The Studio