Culture and arts connect the world? It might sound amusing or unconvincing to those who never approached such integral aspects of human society in depth; or haven’t thought of them as something they associate themselves with, not just culture and art, but the art of culture is an aspect we’re surrounded with unconditionally, it’s our lifestyle, traditions, religions, and backgrounds.
Dubai Design Week is an annual event, created by a strategic partnership between Dubai Design District and supported by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, held under the dedicated patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, it’ll take place on 7-12 November 2023 this year.
This event is considered the largest of its type in the region, connecting the world’s creative designs and embracing the local Emirati design; through UAE’s leading design fair, Downtown Design, exhibitions, installations, competitions, talks and workshops, that highlight and enhance how art and culture connect the world.
Dubai design week’s main focus is to showcase different cultures through art, their goal is to link different countries together and connect them through art. They do that by finding different architectural designs, interactive art, sustainable art, and many more to connect the world together. They plan to headline feature ‘abwab’ meaning doors in Arabic bringing 187 designers from across the region coming from; Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, India, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the UAE. It is dedicated to commissioning work from across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.
The UAE largely values art and heritage. To the UAE, peace is valued more than anything. Part of peace comes from art. You can take your emotions out while making art. You can even get emotional looking at art it’s a big impact on the whole world in many ways. It can affect your mental health, your view on life, art is everywhere and all around you. That’s why the UAE takes it into huge consideration, art itself especially when it comes to connecting each other as humans.
The ambassador of the UAE Bader AlMatrooshi even said “art is an important aspect in the links among countries, and I believe, as well as the UAE, that the connection among peoples is very important, and a way to achieve this is through culture”.
He pointed out that he recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in this field with Cuba, which has a great cultural wealth, hence “there is a great potential to work together,”
To learn more:
https://www.plenglish.com/news/2022/07/07/culture-as-a-vehicle-to-promote-ties-among-peoples/
https://www.cop28.com/en/sustainability-policy
As COP28 is coming up, both events are UAE’s effort enhancing sustainability and a sustainable life. This article here shows COP28’s goals to achieve sustainability. Both events want to show how to achieve sustainability through art, culture, design, architecture, and as many things as they can to completely achieve sustainable life all around the world.
To learn more:
“The exhibition not only showcases artistic excellence and human creativity but also provides a channel for Emirati artists at various stages of their journey to engage in constructive dialogue, exchange ideas and explore creative themes. The event supports Dubai’s overarching vision for a sustainable and vibrant cultural and creative sector,” a quote by Her Highness Shaikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashed.
Sustainable architecture is becoming increasingly important as we face environmental challenges like climate change and resource depletion. By implementing eco-friendly design strategies, architects can create buildings that are more energy-efficient, use sustainable materials, reduce waste, and minimize their carbon footprint. This not only benefits the environment but also leads to more cost-effective and healthier living and working spaces for people. Sustainable architecture is a crucial step towards a more environmentally responsible and sustainable future. Dubai design week will showcase many types of architectural art in different sections based on the countries exhibiting.
To learn more:
https://www.dubaidesignweek.ae/programme/2023/d3-architecture-exhibition-partnership-riba/
THIS YEAR!
Witnessing the unhumanitarian war crisis the world is undergoing, Dubai Design Week as it aims to connect the world, it truly did, not only through art but they have released a collaboration initiative with the red crescent exclusive for this year to support the affected Palestinian civilians with the ongoing war between Palestine and Israel. The Initiative implies on all visitors to pay 25 aed charity before entering, to show how the world stands together and connects together through art. The initiative was announced by sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed (Chairperson of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority) in her official Instagram account.
Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Almaktoum (Chairperson of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority), one of the founders of this event has been an inspiration to many artists, as she expressed the huge connection between art and culture and the world in her latest interview at the 21st Arab Media Forum, not only that but expressed as human how much of a vast connection we have with these aspects, highlighting specially the arab society. She herself commented on the event on her official instagram account “We discussed the synergistic relationship between culture and media, and the importance of fostering cooperation to craft powerful content that tells our authentic story and showcases our rich Arab culture to the world.”
