Hala Badri: DIDI’s annual graduate exhibition is an inspiring hub for emerging talent

Hala Badri, Director General of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), has visited the annual graduate exhibition organised by the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI) until 1 June 2023 at the Dubai Design District. The exhibition showcases several innovative models and research projects completed by its second batch of graduates, who are shedding light on sustainability and artificial intelligence by presenting solutions that serve humanity, contribute to meeting the public needs and enable them to overcome health challenges they may face. Badri’s visit to the exhibition comes within the framework of Dubai Culture’s support for emerging talent in the design sector, which represents one of the tributaries of Dubai’s creative economy and contributes to strengthening its cultural and creative industries.

During her visit, accompanied by Dr Saeed Mubarak bin Kharbash, CEO of the Arts and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, Badri toured around many of the innovative projects and ideas presented by the institute’s graduates, praising the qualitative ideas presented that address the requirements and needs of society, and highlight the importance and pivotal role of design in improving the quality of life, expanding horizons for talent, and motivating them to innovate.

Badri affirmed that the exhibition represents an inspiring platform that highlights creativity and presents a set of worthy notions that are in line with Dubai’s ambitious visions and strategies aimed at establishing its position as a global destination in the field of design and consolidating its cultural imprint on the international field. She stressed Dubai Culture’s keenness to nurture and embrace local talent and provide a creative ecosystem capable of supporting and empowering them, thus contributing to advancing this vital sector.

The exhibition grants the platform to 29 projects in various design disciplines, most focused on sustainability, in line with the Year of Sustainability in the country, which aims to raise awareness about environmental sustainability issues, encourage community participation in achieving sustainable development and support national strategies in this field. The projects reflect DIDI’s approach to finding creative and innovative solutions to enrich communities and the environment.

The exhibition included a series of projects embodying students’ moral responsibility, including the Gawhatna project by the duo Latifa Al Suwaidi and Latifa Al Khoory, which creates new products from coffee packaging waste. Mohammed Saleh Razeen presented his own special, innovative raw material generated from living natural materials. He sought through his project to draw attention to rethinking relationships with clothes and emotions around them, while Dalila Mansour offered an application that helps in examining teeth and detecting their problems.

Maryam Bin Suloom investigates the suffering of Alzheimer’s patients and those around them; based on the study of symptoms alleviators. Maryam created a mental communication game to help in improving the mood and health of the patient.

With the aim of preserving the Arabic language, duo Hala Al Qasabi and Noura Makki devised an awareness project that studies the problem of Gen Zs, i.e., the new generation that speaks English, but is not proficient in Arabic. They created a card game printed with phrases that highlight the strength and aesthetics of the Arabic language to motivate future generations to adopt Arabic as the main language of communication with others.

Through his Desert Pulse project, Mohammad Bassam Alsaleh shed light on the relationship between sprawling cities and nature. Yangkai Zhang presented a contemporary conception of traditional Chinese fashion designs. Mariam Halouani had the Tajmauna project, a game that contributes to introducing the history of cultural monuments within the country. Fatima Al Halyan presented the Morph/i/Us project, a tool to enhance self-awareness and meditation among community members to assist them in analysing and understanding their mental processes more clearly. Through her project ‘See. Shell Waste’, Dalal Jaber was inspired by marine life and planned to raise awareness of the importance of preserving it.

The exhibition also included the Osha project by pairing Asma Al Marri and Media Al Falasi, in which they presented a distinctive piece that combines jewellery and Oud oil, demonstrating an important part of the local culture. Meera Al Abbar, through her Roome project, sought to create a comprehensive platform to enhance the strength of communications and internet networks.

The annual Graduate Exhibition also includes many other qualitative and innovative projects inspired by the local social and cultural environment, which reflect DIDI’s vision and the moral responsibility of youth towards the environment and society.