DUBAI: Abwab, a key exhibition for the promotion of regional talent and cultural exchange, is returning for its seventh edition at Dubai Design Week from Nov. 8 to 13.
This year, the Abwab commission was awarded to Dubai-based architect Ahmed El-Sharabassy for his proposal titled “Nature in Motion,” which is going to build the structure for Abwab.
His project responded to this year’s theme of regenerative architecture and restorative design. The pavilion structure references the Dubai desert’s constant motion, emulating the city’s continuous development and evolution.
Lebanese designer Ghassan Salameh, creative director at Dubai Design Week, said: “Ahmed’s idea was to build a pavilion using sustainable materials and responsible production techniques. So, it’s going to be made out of bamboo … and is going to have greenery in it.”
The Beirut-based architecture and research firm Bits to Atoms will host an exhibition, titled “Pulp Fusion,” inside El-Sharabassy’s large structure. (dubaidesignweek.ae)
The Beirut-based architecture and research firm Bits to Atoms will host an exhibition, titled “Pulp Fusion,” inside El-Sharabassy’s large structure, which will be centered around the human impact on the planet and the role of design as a restorative tool while embedding nature as a core element.
“They developed a new type of material from recycled paper and environmental waste, and they turned it into actual construction material which they can use to build chairs, furniture, or even bricks,” added Salameh.
The materials for “Pulp Fusion” were developed in Lebanon.
Abwab is a key exhibition for the promotion of regional talent and cultural exchange. (dubaidesignweek.ae)
“(Abwab) has always been one of the only projects that focuses on contemporary architecture in the Middle East. It also presents people from different regions to be commissioned to present work.
“The designers or the architects actually get commissions with a specific sum of money to build or develop a specific idea,” said Salameh.
Previously, Abwab used to feature country pavilions inspired by specific themes, but Salameh noted that this year it had been different. “We didn’t select someone directly, but we opened the call for everyone to apply based on a specific theme,” he said.
It will be Salameh’s third collaboration with DDW. This year, he will be the curator for exhibitions including Abwab, the UAE Designer Exhibition, and the 2040: d3 Architecture Exhibition.