A new organic material that harnesses energy from body movement; a luxury yacht that cleans the ocean; a revolutionary construction technique inspired by silk worms… Just three of 40 game-changing innovations that will be revealed at the Global Grad Show during this year’s Dubai Design Week (26–31 October), held in association with Dubai Design District (d3).

The exhibition is unprecedented anywhere in the world. For the first time, highlights from the recent degree shows of 10 of the most innovative university design programmes worldwide will be gathered together in a single space.

Participating institutions:

• Eindhoven University of Technology
• ECAL (Lausanne)
• Hong Kong Polytechnic (Hong Kong)
• KAIST (Daejeon)
• KMD Keio (Kanagawa)
• MIT (Cambridge, MA)
• National University Singapore (Singapore)
• Pratt (New York)
• Royal College of Art (London)
• Tsinghua (Beijing)

– Like Dubai Design Week itself, the Global Grad Show has been conceived and managed by the Art Dubai Group 

Lindsay Miller,  Managing Director of d3 comments, “As one of the most vibrant and multicultural cities in the Middle East, Dubai is the ideal location to host such an exhibition. This unique platform will provide a level field for emerging designers and creatives in a way that traditional design centres with established institutions and agendas, such as London or New York, simply couldn’t.”

Hosted in d3 and free to the public, Global Grad Show draws upon the next generation of design talent to present a curated selection of concepts that have the potential to shape our future. By presenting an international overview of today’s design thinking, the exhibition aims to offer visitors a glimpse at the possible world of tomorrow.

London’s Royal College of Art has worked closely with the Art Dubai Group to bring the project to fruition. Dr Paul Thompson, rector of the RCA, explains the impetus behind their involvement: “At the Royal College of Art we bring together talented designers from all over the world in order to exchange ideas and innovate. We believe strongly that collaboration lies at the heart of transformative design, so the Global Grad Show is a great way of working across borders to bring about change and improvement in society. This is why we have been pleased to take the lead role in this initiative from the very beginning, and why we are represented by so many of our recent graduates. 

The 50 projects chosen are not organised by their schools of origin but split into seven categories: Health, Home, Work, Play, Construction and Memory. Each exhibit has been selected by the show’s curator, the internationally acclaimed designer and writer Brendan McGetrick.

– McGetrick explains: “Design exhibitions often fixate on style alone – a lamp or chair, for instance, that looks beautiful (or just unusual) but doesn’t provide a fundamentally different experience or benefit from any other lamp or chair. In Global Grad Show, many of the exhibits are attempting to apply design to open up new possibilities or to meet currently unmet needs and desires.”

The selected projects reflect both the social issues and technological possibilities that surround the current generation of emerging designers and – perhaps more than ever before – are united by the desire to resolve personal and societal problems rather than focusing on the aesthetic aspects of design. Some of the common themes that link the exhibits include:

• Methods of reducing stress and promoting sleep

• The potential of driverless vehicles and drones to save lives
• Life-enhancing applications for bio-responsive technology and behavioural monitoring
• Explorations of new sustainable materials and energy sources
• Navigating the space between analogue and digital, and managing our digital footprints

The exhibition gives the featured students and universities a unique opportunity to demonstrate their work and areas of interest to a global audience. By providing a showcase and discussion forum for the world’s most innovative design thinking, Global Grad Show aims to play a positive part in shaping the international design landscape of tomorrow.

For more information and updates, see: www.dubaidesignweek.ae/projects/global-grad-show

Follow on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @dubaidesignweek #DXBDW #DXBDW2015

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Global Grad Show will be held in Atrium 6, Dubai Design District

26-31 October 2015

Opening hours to be confirmed

Press enquiries, please contact:

Ciara Philips Tel: +971 (0)55 650 7431 | [email protected]

ABOUT THE CURATOR

Brendan McGetrick is an independent writer, editor, and designer. His work has appeared in publications in more than 20 countries, including Wired, Art Review, Domus, and Vogue Nippon. His projects include the books MAD Dinner (Actar), Urban China: Work In Progress (Timezone 8), and Who is Architecture? (Domus/Timezone 8).

In 2011, he curated ‘Unnamed Design’, a component of the 2011 Gwangju Design Biennale, in collaboration with Ai Weiwei. The exhibition received over 200,000 visitors and was named the year’s best contemporary design exhibition by the New York Times. In 2014, he co-curated Fair Enough in the Russian pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Since 2012 Brendan has served as director of the Strelka Institute in Moscow.

ABOUT DUBAI DESIGN WEEK

The city of Dubai is a global meeting point for the international design community and is regarded as the regional capital of design. The establishment of the Dubai Design Week creates a cultural focus for design with the region’s leading design fair, Downtown Design, at its heart.

The geographical position of Dubai makes it an ideal hub for international designers and brands to take advantage of the city and its newly constructed Dubai Design District (d3) as an ideal location for showcase design innovation and new products. Dubai Design Week will provide a platform for international design weeks to bring established and emerging brands to a new audience. Dubai Design Week will also provide an opportunity for the MENASA countries to demonstrate their design talent within d3, for ground-breaking installations to highlight many of the iconic buildings and locations within Dubai and to promote design education through a programme of talks, discussions and workshops.

http://www.dubaidesignweek.ae

ABOUT DUBAI DESIGN DISTRICT

Dubai Design District, better known as d3, is dedicated to fostering the growth of the Emirate’s design, fashion, art, and luxury industry. It offers businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals a creative community that will be at the very heart of the region’s design scene. Phase 1 is delivered throughout 2015, which, once complete, will host over 10,000 creatives.

Currently 4 buildings have been handed over and business partners have already moved in. d3 is a purpose built environment catering to the full value chain of the design, fashion and luxury industry – and all with the vision of creating a world class creative community that engages, nurtures and promotes local, regional and global design talent.

http://www.dubaidesigndistrict.com

ABOUT DUBAI CULTURE & ARTS AUTHORITY

The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) was launched on March 8, 2008 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. Dubai Culture plays a critical part in achieving the vision of the Dubai Strategic Plan 2021 of establishing the city as a vibrant, global Arabian metropolis that shapes culture and arts in the region and the world. The organization has announced several initiatives that strengthen the historic and modern cultural fabric of Dubai. These include: The Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Patrons of the Arts Awards: The first of its kind initiative in the Arab world honouring individuals and organisations who have made financial or in-kind contributions through sustained support to visual arts, performing arts, literature and film in the region: Dubai Art Season: The city’s premier umbrella arts initiatives which encompasses Art Week (Art Dubai, Design Days Dubai and SIKKA Art Fair), Middle East Film & Comic Con, to highlight the Emirate’s growing creative landscape within the international circuit; SIKKA Art Fair:An annual art fair aimed at promoting Emirati and local artists in the UAE; and Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre: An annual festival that celebrates and fosters the art of theatre in the UAE.

www.dubaiculture.gov.ae

ABOUT DUBAI DESIGN & FASHION COUNCIL

The Dubai Design & Fashion Council was established in late 2014 by the Dubai government to position Dubai as a global hub for design and fashion in the Middle East region and to nurture regional talent. The Dubai Design & Fashion Council aims to position Dubai as the emerging design capital of the world, and raise its profile as a regional and global destination for design and fashion. Chaired by Dr. Amina Al Rustamani, Group CEO of Tecom Investments, and run by CEO Nez Gebreel, the Dubai Design and Fashion Council’s board members consist of 15 individuals who represent a mix of key stakeholder groups, including government, academic, not-for profit and private sector experts, such as Laila Suhail, CEO at Dubai Festival and Retail Establishments; Holding; Khalid Al Tayer, CEO – Retail of Al Tayer Group; Patrick Chalhoub, CEO of Chalhoub Group; and fashion designer Reem Acra.

http://www.dubaidesignandfashioncouncil.ae