Dubai Design Week: Student projects on display
Graduate students projects from 100 universities being showcased in Dubai
Dubai: As part of Dubai Design Week 2019, which kicked off in Dubai on Monday, the Global Grad Show is displaying graduate student projects by over 100 universities from more than 40 countries.
According to the organisers, Global Grad Show has featured more than 550 graduate projects from over 130 universities globally until this edition. This year, applications were received from over 200 universities. Around 150 projects from 100 universities eventually made it to the show.
Hani Asfour, Dean of Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI), told Gulf News: “Having our first year student’s work, namely Noor Al Fahim and Nayef Al Bastaki, represented in the Global Grad Show is testimony to the talented Emirati students we have at DIDI, the unrelenting dedication of the faculty, and validates our mission to raise the level of design education in the region. This is an absolute honour and benchmark of what we promise to be the beginning of a long term set of achievements that will place Dubai on the global map of design and innovation education.”
The curator of Global Grad Show’s latest round is Eleanor Watson, a member of the curatorial team of the Design Museum in London, whose experience includes the Garage Museum in Moscow and Southbank Centre in London. A sample of some choice projects:
Flying flower
‘Poleno’, designed by Juan Guerrero and Laura Pottecher from Istituto Europeo di Design in Madrid, is a silent drone that helps the process of rebuilding damaged ecosystems by stimulating pollination.
Mimicking the form and purpose of a flower, the device attracts insects thanks to its bright colour and built-in light. Insects then pass through the perforated walls of the device, picking up the pollen particles within and dispersing them throughout the local area. After a set period of time the drone travels to another sector.
Sugar watch
‘WeGlo’ is a wearable watch-like device that measures glucose concentration in the blood in a continuous and non-invasive way. Designed by Abdul Rahman Al Kaderi from the American University of Beirut, WeGlo uses microwaves and radio frequency to detect changes in blood glucose levels, charting these measurements in the patient’s app.
WeGlo uses microwaves and radio frequency to detect changes in blood glucose levels, charting these measurements in the patient’s app.
Heat paint
‘Spectrum’ is a reflective paint that changes its colour based on temperature. It is designed to be applied to the roofs of buildings. If the outdoor temperature reaches over 30C, the paint becomes white, increasing its reflexivity and stopping the building from absorbing heat. Once the temperature drops, the paint returns to its dark tone. It is designed by Francesco Giordano, Raphael Sanchez, Zeynep Tulumen from Collège des Ingénieurs.
Creative Lab announced
Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) on Monday announced Creative Lab as part of Dubai Design Week 2019.
Comprising several public drop-in stations, each hosting a different design discipline, the lab will run for the duration of the six-day event.
The announcement comes as part of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai’s new cultural vision for the emirate and his request for all cultural entities in the UAE to work together to explore new opportunities.
Free and open to the public, Creative Lab is designed for amateurs, students and children to explore the design industry. The talent incubator aims to encourage entrepreneurship, opening the sector to more commercially viable opportunities for young creative people. The initiative will allow the public to get involved in design making.
For Creative Lab, the participating design entities include Al Ghadeer Crafts, an organisation dedicated to empowering underprivileged women through sustainable crafts, who will be hosting live demonstrations with Emirati craftswomen.
Also, Ethan & Co, a UK education consultancy, is offering an experience with 3D design and printing; OliOli, an interactive children’s museum will host a workshop allowing children to make a simple robot; Sharabassy Built Environment Studio will introduce participants to 3D digital modelling software; MAS Paints will focus on sustainability via workshops to paint upcycled objects; social enterprise 81 Designs will be holding Palestinian embroidery workshops; and A Touch of Clay will encourage the craft of pottery and ceramics.