Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate's dedicated entity for culture, arts and heritage, has commissioned two young Emirati interior designers Alya Al Ghafeli and Jawaher Al Khayyal, who have both recently graduated from Zayed University, and created its stand for Design Days Dubai 2017, bringing an evocative representation of the nation’s heritage to audiences from across the world.
Dubai Culture’s stand for Design Days Dubai features a seating area that is based on the concept of Iqr’a (read) and captures Emirati heritage. Iqr’a is the first word revealed in the Holy Quran and its Arabic form was abstracted to create the stand’s minimal, modern layout, which will be contrasted with traditional, sustainable materials such as rope and teak wood. Once Design Days Dubai is successfully concluded, the stand will move between various locations around the city, before being finally installed at the Al Safa branch of Dubai Public Library.
The stand continues Dubai Culture’s commitment to providing public reading spaces for the community, in line with the UAE National Strategy for Reading 2016-2026. It offers a positive, inspiring environment in which visitors at the fair can pause, read and exchange views, which will help to promote a healthy reading habit across the community.
Design Days Dubai is the Middle East and South Asia’s only collectible design fair and continues at Dubai Design District (d3) until the 17th March. It is also a flagship initiative of the Authority’s Dubai Art Season – the city-wide activation of cultural events that runs throughout March and April 2017 and takes places under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The annual umbrella event on the Dubai cultural and creative calendar aims to highlight the city's global credentials on the arts scene, and brings together artists from around the world for an unmatched celebration of talent, creativity, innovation and cultural diversity.
