Dubai Design Week’s popular exhibition Abwab will return to this year’s programme, showcasing entirely new work from designers and studios from Algeria, Bahrain, India, Iraq, Palestine and the UAE, festival organisers said.

Rawan Kashkoush, creative director of Abwab said: “The Abwab pavilions are a microcosm of diversity each year, showcasing design in a format that brings the region closer together. Sat side by side, the ideas of each of the countries are emphasised. The exhibitions tell of their origins more clearly when we are able to read them all at once."

Abwab is part of Dubai Design Week, running from October 24 to 29, held in partnership with Dubai Design District (d3). It is also supported by Dubai Culture, Dubai Design & Fashion Council, and Audi.

Located within the walkways of d3, Abwab will be housed in a pavilion cluster designed by architects Meitha Al Mazrooi, Hatem Hatem and Fortuné Penniman of UAE-based architectural practice A Hypothetical Office.

Integrated within the d3 site, the pavilions will be made from a re-appropriated greenhouse structure to form a ‘housh’ or courtyard, a playful nod to Arab neighbourhood nostalgia that is both enclosed and permeable. Paths of filtered light and shady, canopied public spaces allow for access and pockets to converse in – the negative space acts as a harbour and gathering space for visitors.

Hatem Hatem from A Hypothetical Office said: “The structural language of the Abwab pavilions will be composed of faceted surfaces that provide intimate enclosures, lit by lighting specialists Acdc. The surface material is a form of woven plastic mesh that allows for light and transparency, enclosed between a field of columns and delimited by reclaimed rubber flooring donated by Bee’ah.”

Mohammad Saeed Al Shehhi, chief operations officer of d3, said: “One of our ambitions at d3 is to fully enable creative potential and our flexible spaces here at d3 allow us to offer a platform for artists and designers to showcase their work within a suitable infrastructure. In working with Downtown Design and Hypothetical, we are proud to establish the Abwab series and help champion some of the best examples of design from the Menasa region.” – TradeArabia News Service