Dubai Global Grad Show, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

In the spirit of artificial worlds in Dubai — from Dubai World to the indoor ski slopes — this project produces an immersive, artificial environment for the Global Grad Show in Dubai Design Week 2018. The project builds on SO–IL and Bryony Roberts Studio’s shared investigation into softness and textiles, creating an exhibition environment through the variation and volumetric distortions of fabric. The tactility and softness of the fabric takes visitors out of the built environment of the city and into one of imagination and possibility, a zone of play and discovery where they can engage with the new product designs the show presents.

The environment is created with 28,000 sf of fabric, painted by theatrical set painters through splattering, spilling, and pooling paint. The playful use of pigment resonates with the creativity of the student work on display and also evokes arctic landscapes. Playing with the artificiality of design in Dubai, the project creates a landscape alien to the desert context.

Global Grad Show is an exhibition of innovation from the world’s leading design and technology schools. The show is an inspiring look at what is in store for the next generation of cultural producers. The 2018 edition showcased 150 of the inventions shaping our tomorrow. Solutions ranging from the physical to the virtual, high-tech and complex to small and conceptually simple. Technology for doctors that can identify cancer cells using a pen, solutions to combat declining bee populations, a ring that helps the visually impaired to retain their independence, affordable ways to tackle climate change and much more.