DUBAI: Named after the Arabic word for “doors,” Abwab is an annual exhibition at Dubai Design Week, a creative fair that runs until Nov. 17.
This year, five pavilions from Amman, Beirut, Dubai, the Eastern Provinces of KSA and Kuwait City are showing off their artistic innovations in Dubai Design District, where the event is based.
Two designers were invited from each place to collaborate and produce works related to the theme “Between the Lines.”
#Amman's pavillion at the Abwab exhibit at @DubaiDesignWeek is called 'Duwar' and is a representation of the cycle between chaos and order. The exhibit is a walk-through piece featuring moving images hung from a cavernous ceiling in a circular space pic.twitter.com/oSknooyvTs
— Arab News (@arabnews) November 13, 2018
The creations are housed in five pavilions at the heart of Dubai Design District, made up of red twigs and newspaper pulp and designed by the firm Architecture + Other Things.
Visitors crowded around the pavilions at the opening of the fair on Tuesday and explored the five spaces with their unique, sometimes perplexing, offerings.
Amman‘s pavilion at the Abwab exhibit is called “Duwar,” roundabout in Arabic, and is described as a representation of the cycle between chaos and order. The exhibit is a walk-through piece featuring moving images on boards suspended from the low ceiling of the circular space. Visitors are encouraged to walk through the dark circular corridor and take in the constantly flashing imagery above them in the piece that was created by multidisciplinary designer Hashem Joucka and architect Basel Naouri.
Beirut’s contribution to the Abwab exhibit is called “Beirut Fillers” and features a series of suspended words in a constructed sensorial environment, complete with audio recordings of the words “euhhh,” “halla2,” “enno” and “fa,” all of which are linguistic fillers commonly heard in Beiruti conversation.
#Beirut's contribution to the Abwab exhibit at @DubaiDesignWeek is called 'Beirut Fillers' and features a series of suspended words in a constructed sensorial environment, complete with audio of the words pic.twitter.com/atffjrpOjv
— Arab News (@arabnews) November 13, 2018
For its part, the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia is showcasing a fascinating piece of work called “The Sound of the East Coast” that pays homage to the tradition of pearl diving in the area with shaking, jelly-like bowls. The installation even features audio recordings of the traditional song “El Yamal,” often chanted to keep the divers motivated.
The Eastern Province of #SaudiArabia is showcasing a fascinating piece of work at @DubaiDesignWeek called 'The Sound of the East Coast.' The piece features shaking jelly-like bowls and pays homage to the tradition of pearl diving in the area pic.twitter.com/xRHPfh9Q8B
— Arab News (@arabnews) November 13, 2018
While Kuwait City’s offering, called “Desert Cast,” uses locally sourced materials and production methods to explore the idea of identity in the country, Dubai’s piece at the exhibit is called “Thulathi: Threefold” and is marked by a protruding triangular section that breaks the natural form of the rounded pavilion. Each corner of the triangle opens slightly through apertures, revealing video projections and silhouette cutouts.
The Abwab exhibit at @DubaiDesignWeek is dedicated to design from the #MiddleEast, with #Kuwait City's offering called 'Desert Cast.' The piece uses locally sourced materials and production methods to explore the idea of identity in the country pic.twitter.com/jDmpqWGPt9
— Arab News (@arabnews) November 13, 2018
The Abwab exhibit is just one thought-provoking, Instagram-worthy part of Dubai Design Week, an event that boasts workshops, exhibits and a trade fair.
