Design Days Dubai steps things up a gear for its 2014 outing
Parisian-born Cyril Zammit launched Design Days Dubai (DDD) in 2012 with 22 regional and international galleries. Last week, 33 galleries attended the 2014 edition of the fair, with eight of them returning for the third year in a row. In a short time, DDD has grown from a small, optimistic venture to an important fixture in the design fair calendar. And the event has a formed its own unique character - it is a fair about people, for people, and by people.
The loyal gallerists who have been part of DDD from the beginning include Lebanese architect Pascale Wakim and Canadian architect Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte, who founded Carwan Gallery; Parisian Loic Le Gaillard and Julien Lombrail, who established Carpenters Workshop Gallery; São Paulo-based Coletivo Amor de Madre founder Olivia Yassudo; Southern Guild's Trevyn and Julian McGowan; and Victor Hunt Designart Dealer founder Alexis Ryngaert. Their patience and endurance paid off in this third edition, when critical acclaim developed into good sales.
Housed under the sprawling canvas roof of the fair tent, beneath the teetering Burj Khalifa, were products from both regional and international contemporary designers and artists. Wakim and Bellavance-Lecompte channelled the style and skills of the Gulf creatives; works from Iranian artist Taher Asad-Bakhtiari and Lebanese artist Wyssem Nochi, designers Nada Debs and Chekerdjian sat seamlessly next to UK-based Michael Anastassiades' 'Miracle Chips' installation (originally commissioned for Wallpaper* Handmade 2013).
Galerie Yves Gastou, meanwhile, landed at the fair with elegant works by 20th-century avant-garde design masters Philippe Hiquily, Ado Chale and Paul Evans, accented with Emmanuel Babled's 'Osmosi' collection in carrara marble and murano glass. 'People here ask no bad questions,' says gallerist Victor Gastou, 'they are willing to understand all kinds of beauty.' This open-mindedness may, in part, be due to the increased diversity of the fair's visitors this year, who came to the DDD not just to browse and socialise, but to seriously invest in pieces and their creators.
A new addition to the fair was the 'Discovery' section, with French galleries Galerie Gosserez, Gallery S Bensimon, NextLevel Galerie and Ymer & Malta selected to exhibit. Elswhere, a hidden gem sitting modestly in a corner of Austrian silversmith Wiener Silber Manufactur's stand was Erwin Wurm's zuccheriera, a 'fat sugar box' evolved from his famous 'Fat Car' series - the artist's first encounter with silver.
There was a strong list of galleries from the region this year. FN Designs from Dubai showed works by 10 UAE-based designers, as part of a '10-100-1000' initiative; Pakistan-based Coalesce Design Studio gave a fresh perspective to its own nation's culture with its collection of offerings; and the 'Deglobalizer' project by Paolo Cardini, a professor at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, displayed global IKEA products adapted to fit local life. The work raised questions about how international and local design can converge to create a common recognisable hybrid.
The highly anticipated Dubai Design District (d3) is due to open next year, and the next Design Days Dubai edition will see a new and extended venue. 'All the work is for the success of Dubai and to make Dubai a "must" in the global circuit,' says Zammit.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Yoko Choy is the China editor at Wallpaper* magazine, where she has contributed for over a decade. Her work has also been featured in numerous Chinese and international publications. As a creative and communications consultant, Yoko has worked with renowned institutions such as Art Basel and Beijing Design Week, as well as brands such as Hermès and Assouline. With dual bases in Hong Kong and Amsterdam, Yoko is an active participant in design awards judging panels and conferences, where she shares her mission of promoting cross-cultural exchange and translating insights from both the Eastern and Western worlds into a common creative language. Yoko is currently working on several exciting projects, including a sustainable lifestyle concept and a book on Chinese contemporary design.
-
Utilitarian men’s fashion that will elevate your everyday
From Prada to Margaret Howell, utilitarian and workwear-inspired men’s fashion gets an upgrade for S/S 2024
By Jack Moss Published
-
Gerhard Richter unveils new sculpture at Serpentine South
Gerhard Richter revisits themes of pattern and repetition in ‘Strip-Tower’ at London’s Serpentine South
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Vipp’s Scandinavian guesthouse offers a sleek setting amid a wild landscape
Vipp Cold Hawaii is a Scandinavian guesthouse designed by architecture studio Hahn Lavsen in Denmark’s Thy National Park
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Downtown Design 2022 set to bolster Dubai’s booming design scene
The Middle East’s leading design fair, Downtown Design returns 9 – 12 November 2022, presenting opportunities for the world’s design industry in the UAE’s booming market In partnership with Downtown Design
By Simon Mills Last updated
-
Dubai Design Week 2021 champions local creativity and visions of the future
Dubai Design Week 2021 highlights – here’s our pick of where to go and what to see (8 –13 November 2021)
By Sujata Burman Last updated
-
Global Grad Show 2020 takes innovation to the next level
From a fall prevention device for elderly Parkinson's disease patients to a navigation system made of silk protein, this year’s works address our globe’s complex issues
By Sujata Burman Last updated
-
Hozan Zangana's socially-distant seating is inspired by mirages
In Dubai, the Iraqi designer explores a design based on the Fata Morgana phenomenon, creating public seating that invites people to connect from a safe distance
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
UAE’s thriving creative scene catapults Dubai Design Week onto a global stage
By Sujata Burman Last updated
-
Creative dispatches: highlights from Dubai Design Week 2017
By Becky Sunshine Last updated
-
Dubai’s Global Grad show tackles social and enviromental problems through diverse design
By Ali Morris Last updated
-
Desert storm: Dubai hosts two international design and art fairs
By Suzanne Trocmé Last updated