Workshops at Dubai Design Week: All you need to know

Dubai: The Dubai Design Week is now open for visitors until Saturday, November 13. The week-long festival is offering over 250 free-to-attend events and activities, including a variety of workshops for everyone – ranging from jewellery making, weaving tapestries to pottery and more, as well as exhibitions, stores and installations. If you are interested in being a part of the event taking place at Dubai Design District, here is all you need to know.

How do I register?

Registration is free for visiting Dubai Design Week, however certain workshops require payment for attendance.

Everyone can register, and the safety protocol includes wearing a mask at all times. To register as a visitor, fill out the form at this link: https://www.dubaidesignweek.ae/register/

You will need to provide your first name, last name, email address and set a password. Once you register, you will receive a digital visitor’s pass via email, which you will need to display on your phone or in printed form on-site for entry.

The main location for the events, installations and exhibitions is Dubai Design District (d3).

Dubai Design Week Workshops

The ‘Making Space’ programme offers a range of 86 workshops under the theme ‘Paper, Plastic = Play’, as well as seven masterclasses and almost 40 designated kids’ activities workshops.

They run from 11.30am to 9pm every day.

How do I sign up for a workshop?

To sign up for specific workshops and talks follow these steps:

1. Sign in to your account on the Dubai Design Week website. You can also use the email address and password you set during registration on the ‘Dubai Design Week’ app, which is available on the iOS and Android app stores.

2. Browse the workshop catalogue on the website here https://www.dubaidesignweek.ae/programme/2021/ or on the app.

3. Click on your preferred workshop, and as required, click the link for registration and carry out the payment or email the contact given.

Some workshops have age restrictions for safety, and this information can be found under the workshop details.

What kinds of workshops can I expect?

The full catalogue of workshops spans embroidery, dyeing, jewellery-making, wood painting, crafts and much more. While some workshops are free, for paid workshops prices range from Dh50 to Dh300. Here are the main categories of workshops and what you can expect from them:

Woodwork

The programme features opportunities for those looking to try woodwork – workshops include painting on wood and designing your own wood sign, making wood shaving ornaments, using child-friendly carving tools to craft an egg cup, wooden pen, salt and pepper shakers and whistles, many of which you can take home.

You can also learn about printmaking using woodcut design for print, and go for introductory lessons to woodturning to make bracelets, goblets, bowls and bottle stoppers and abstract clay forms.

Pottery

Whether you’re a beginner in pottery or have some experiencing moulding clay, you can find workshops catered to your interests. You can learn how to use the pottery wheel to make ceramics or the fundamentals of hand building and sculpture techniques to create your own decorative pottery items and personalised clay bowls.

There also opportunities to learn pottery decoration techniques such as under glaze, and even gold casting inspired by the Emirati craft of weaving palm fronds or Safeefah.

Fashion and beauty

If you are looking to refresh your wardrobe, there are classes on cut-out fashion, transforming your old t-shirt into a chic tote bag or making one from scratch, and designing a prototype for a print design for fashion.

You can also learn how to make your own natural textile dyes, and tie-dye t-shirts that you can take home.

Under beauty, there are jewellery-making workshops, and an interactive henna class where you can find out its culture and significance, and how to make it at home.

Artwork

Pop art embroidery, making your own paint, transferring an image to a linoleum block and more are some of the art workshops available.

Home décor

If you're interested in home DIY (Do It Yourself) projects, these workshops can give you experience in designing, weaving, making crockery, decorations and furniture.

You can paint and make your own ceramic tiles, create bowls and coasters from resin and concrete and weave tapestries for wall hangings from scratch.

There are also options for making your own soap, sustainable candles, a dream catcher and even origami vases, baskets and flowers.

Plastic and paper recycling

For paper, you can learn how to make paper on your own, have a go at paper-making from dried palm leaves. If you're looking to creatively use the plastic you have at home, there are workshops on upcycling your plastic waste into a modern piece of quilling, recycling plastic into fabric and creating products out of face masks.

Kids can also learn how to make sustainable bioplastics at home from everyday items.