Dubai Design District or ‘d3’ — as we’re lovingly calling the purpose-built design and creative hub — has been in the news since its master-plan was unveiled last year.
With its first phase all set for delivery, d3 is hosting a three-day event, Meet d3, to celebrate the emirate’s creative spirit.
Opening on April 2 and running all weekend, Meet d3 is a curated showcase of Dubai’s rich array of creative talent as well as some international bigwigs living on the cutting-edge of design. From fashion and interiors to food design, performance art, concerts, talks and presentations, the event is a teaser of sorts, offering a sliver of the spirit of d3 and its over-arching vision when once fully operational.
Open to the general public, Meet d3 boasts an array of never-seen-before installations, fashion shows and even a bubble-gum factory.
“My brief was ‘put Dubai Design District on the map of Dubai’,” says Saadia Zahid, the event organiser behind Meet d3.
The event is a showcase of Dubai’s creative community and the tenants of d3 when it opens fully (Meet d3 is the first phase of the project).
“Attract the whole city through the programming, make it inclusive of the talent in the city and future d3 tenants and make it inclusive of the people that would be interested in visiting the event,” says Zahid. “I was asked to think about how it would be entertaining for all age groups and various nationalities. Through our music, entertainment and food offering, we are trying to achieve just that. It’s really about using design as a tool for entertainment.”
Zahid stresses that the event, which is free and runs from April 2-4, is aimed at everyone in the UAE. “It is definitely not hipster. It’s fun, experiential and about discovery and design as opposed to something very sub-culture focused. I had numerous visitors in mind — the creative community, locals, families looking for something to do over the weekend and various nationalities too.”
The event starts with a free concert by British singer-songwriter John Newman on April 2, while there are exhibits on fashion and design, interactive food experiences and lots of live music over the three days. But it’s not just about the acts, exhibits and events — everything you see in the environment around you has been designed by tenants of d3.
“I did not dictate what we were looking for,” says Zahid. “We wanted people to get creative — the one thing they were asked to think about is creating experiences for the visitors and something they have not done before. It is largely an event put together by many of the tenants. Everything from [signposts] to the layout and overall event design was created in collaboration by design agency Penguin Cube and architecture firm Wanders Wagner. We probably have over 40 tenants participating in this event,” out of a total of 100, she says.
