Abu Dhabi-UAE: 12 NOVEMBER, 2020: Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of Culture and Youth, has visited Dubai Design District (d3), a member of TECOM Group,  for a tour of the outdoor installations and exhibitions at Dubai Design Week, the region’s largest cultural event held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority.

She was joined on the tour by senior officials including Hala Al Badri, Director General at Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Abdulla Belhoul, Chief Commercial Officer of TECOM Group, and Khadija Al Bastaki, Executive Director of d3.

Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of Culture and Youth, said: “Dubai Design Week has established its position as an annual platform awaited by the creative community locally, regionally and internationally. Over the six years, it has grown to establish itself as the premier creative platform showcasing the latest innovations in architecture and design, attracting greater global participation and international designers every year. This has served to greatly enrich the creative scene to create new partnerships supporting the UAE’s knowledge-based economy and adding great value to the design industry.

She added: “Today, Dubai Design Week – which includes more than 150 activities – helps to enhance communication between local and international designers, exchange experiences, and discuss ways to launch joint creative projects inspired by local heritage that encourage people all over the world to explore new horizons and promote creative talent."

During her tour, HE Noura Al Khaabi visited the inaugural edition of the MENA Grad Show, which presented 50 social impact innovation projects in the fields of technology, science and design from universities across the region. It received more than 200 submissions from 36 universities from across the region.

She also visited the new UAE Designer Exhibition, which focused on promoting emerging designers who submitted proposals to present their work in a collective exhibition at this year’s edition. The Dubai Design Week Marketplace, a new outdoor retail initiative and a key component of the largest creative festival in the Middle East, was also part of the tour. Here, she paid a visit to vendors such as Tashkeel, which provides a nurturing environment for art and design practice rooted in UAE culture and tradition.

Her Excellency also visited the inaugural d3 Architecture Festival, organised in partnership with the Royal Institute of British Architects Gulf Chapter. Held under the theme ‘Identity, Context and Placemaking in the Gulf’, it features a mix of physical and digital events. As Dubai’s first architecture festival, it aims to steer the industry towards a more sustainable future, showcasing the work of 39 regional architects.

She concluded her tour at d3 – the region’s largest creative community that has been the  strategic driver of Dubai Design Week for six years – with a visit to Please Sit Here, a socially distanced outdoor seating exhibit designed by three prominent Emirati designers: Aljoud Lootah, Khalid Shafar and Hamad Khoory.