Before the first Dubai Design Week, more than eight years ago, the idea of “UAE made” was just that, an idea — perhaps even a dream.
The UAE’s architectural journey was already well established by the early 2000s, while a more solid understanding and formation of the arts landscape in the country was also beginning to emerge. As an infrastructure around the arts was forming organically across the country, solidified by the first Art Dubai in 2007 and then in the following year the first galleries opening in Alserkal Avenue, it was only logical that as an artistic voice and identity took form in the UAE, design would follow suit.
Design intersects many expansive disciplines, including architecture, product and furniture design, interiors, jewellery, technology, culture and art — to name a few. For the UAE, a hub for a diverse range of cultures, it always made sense to have different voices and ideas of design filtering through a very multicultural space.
As the UAE’s cultural fabric became more varied, as institutions turned their focus to organically fostering cultural talent here and in the region, and as international interest in the UAE grew, thoughts around the nation's point of view in design were brought to the fore.
How did the UAE fit into the international design landscape? What was the “voice of design” from the country and from the greater region? Could a “made in the UAE” label be a reality?
Design Days Dubai, which was later renamed Dubai Design Week, set out to explore these fundamental questions, along with developing design and innovation in the city by fostering a creative environment. In less than a decade, Dubai Design Week has become one of the largest creative festivals in the Middle East.
The design fair, which runs this year until November 13, stretches across the city, with its main hub in Dubai Design District (d3), and includes Downtown Design, a three-day industry-focused event where the business of design is explored. Activities across the city include public installations, exhibitions, talks and workshops, and for the first time this year the d3 Design Market by FLTRD. The market presents a retail experience, displaying home-grown pieces in fashion, art, homeware and more from Emirati and UAE-based designers.
From international and local designers and artists whose ideas, work and products are on show, we see the accumulation of eight years’ growth in the local design landscape. Not only do up-and-coming regional designers have the opportunity to display their work through the Global Grad Show programme or the more recently launched Mena Grad Show, but international designers and architects are presenting at the fair and creating work inspired by the UAE’s vision, heritage or perspective.
Most importantly, Dubai Design Week has created a platform for Dubai and the UAE to include its own interpretation of global trends and challenges facing the international community, whether that be through diversity, organic growth, new technology or sustainability.
It’s clear over the past few years of Dubai Design Week that the UAE is making its dream a reality.
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
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MATCH INFO
Championship play-offs, second legs:
Aston Villa 0
Middlesbrough 0
(Aston Villa advance 1-0 on aggregate)
Fulham 2
Sessegnon (47'), Odoi (66')
Derby County 0
(Fulham advance 2-1 on aggregate)
Final
Saturday, May 26, Wembley. Kick off 8pm (UAE)
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Getting%20there
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Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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'Moonshot'
Director: Chris Winterbauer
Stars: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse
Rating: 3/5
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RESULT
West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' )
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72')
The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
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RESULTS
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner: Dirilis Ertugrul, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer)
2.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,400m
Winner: Kidd Malibu, Sandro Paiva, Musabah Al Muhairi
2.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,000m
Winner: Raakezz, Tadhg O’Shea, Nicholas Bachalard
3.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,200m
Winner: Au Couer, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar
3.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m
Winner: Rayig, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,800m
Winner: King’s Shadow, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
Brahmastra%3A%20Part%20One%20-%20Shiva
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The specs: Macan Turbo
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
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Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
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Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Secret Nation: The Hidden Armenians of Turkey
Avedis Hadjian, (IB Tauris)
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'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
The biog
DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
