Dubai Design District (d3) has announced a new global campaign for the post-pandemic world: Rethink the Regular.

To rebuild and revitalise communities, promote growth and stimulate the UAE’s knowledge and innovation-based economy, the campaign encourages the world’s most brilliant minds to come together and see design in a new light.

The international initiative will promote Dubai as global destination for the creative industries that offers opportunities for students, startups, entrepreneurs and multinational corporations alike.

To kick it off, d3 has today launched a week-long Rethink Art exhibition. His Highness Sheikh Zayed’s official Range Rover, an original Dodge Challenger from The Dukes of Hazzard and a 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud are among 15 classic cars have raced into the business district for the event, running from March 28- April 3, 2021.

Eye-catching installations, art exhibitions, fashion pop-ups, and mouth-watering special food menus celebrating global cuisine will also be available to the community and wider public, with a series of free workshops from Tashkeel, the Dubai-based multidisciplinary art and design organisation, also taking place. Three restaurants – Emirati eatery Smat, Italian street food destination Vicolo, and the wellness-inspired Anamoia Café – have created special discounted menus for Rethink Art.

The week-long event encouraging people to see design from a new perspective aims to celebrate the diversity of talent in the region’s largest creative hub. It comes after contemporary US street artist Shepard Fairey – the man behind the iconic Barack Obama ‘Hope’ poster – unveiled two new murals in d3, further reinforcing Dubai’s position as a global destination for art and design.

Khadija Al Bastaki, Executive Director of d3, said: “Since d3 was established in 2013, it has served as the region’s go-to destination for creativity. As the world continues to face unprecedented changes, it is important to stay ahead of the game – by rethinking what has been done before, we will be able to conceptualise and build more robust economies that can withstand the test of time. This will help Dubai become one of the best cities in the world. Design plays a critical role in this new vision as it transcends all boundaries, it holds to key to innovation and humanises technology. Through our Rethink the Regular campaign, we aim to inspire people and businesses to create new ideas and concepts in Dubai that move the world forward.  We are excited to kick off this global campaign with our inaugural exhibition celebrating the diversity of d3’s talent by bringing new artistic and culinary experiences to Dubai that reflects our rich heritage and pioneering vision for the future.”