March in Dubai is always a key period in the arts calendar, with the annual Art Dubai and Art Week, which showcases the broad programme of cultural events taking place across the UAE in March. Now the calendar is set to expand to include Design Days Dubai, a major new fair dedicated entirely to collectible and limited edition furniture and objects. Taking place from 18 – 21 March, 2012, Design Days Dubai will add a new dimension to the region’s arts and design scene, welcoming a range of pioneering international and regional designers and galleries to the UAE.

The fair, which will be held in a specially-built arena in Downtown Dubai, will present one-off and limited edition furniture, objects and works by international designers that also serve as investments. It will also provide a major new annual meeting point for designers and design aficionados, becoming the first international design fair in the Middle East and South Asia. In addition to the fair itself, there will be a strong educational programme featuring a series of public talks and workshops, allowing people to share their ideas and expertise.

Speaking about the establishment of Design Days Dubai, Fair Director, Cyril Zammit said, “Dubai is established as the regional centre for contemporary art galleries, and is a city known for its innovative approach to architecture: now is the perfect time to launch a major, new event dedicated to contemporary design. The event will also address the growing demand for investment choices in art and design through its showcase of exclusive collectibles.”

“With Design Days Dubai, we are underlining the concept that design must address the aesthetic sensibilities of people, first and foremost. This approach puts the spotlight on the creative process associated with design - from research to creation and production. The collections to be showcased at this special event are a new, trend-setting form of art and part of a collectible design than stand-alone elements in a living environment,” he added.

Twenty two galleries from around the world have been confirmed to participate, with more to be announced shortly. These include: Dubai’s own Nakkash Gallery, which since its establishment in 1983 has been at the forefront of the UAE’s interior design scene; Carwan, based in Beirut and the Middle East’s first pop-up gallery promoting limited-edition design; Paris/London based Carpenters Workshop Gallery, which is known for its dynamic approach exhibiting unique and limited edition works by artists and designers; and the +Coletivo Amor De Madre Gallery, a Sao Paulo based space dedicated to contemporary experimental DesignArt.

The galleries will present for the first time in Dubai the creative strides and investment opportunities offered by the purchase of high-end design, through an unmatched collection ranging from prototype work to 20th Century classics, with the collectibles varying between €500 (approximately $655) to €300,000 (approximately $393,000).

The fair will also feature ‘Bespoke Design,’ a platform to showcase the production-aspect of design, comprising works by French-design brand Moisonnier and PF Emirates, who will showcase iconic collector pieces by Cassina, Cappellini and Poltrona Frau. These masterpieces bear the signatures of influential designers such as Le Corbusier, Jean-Marie Massaud, Tom Dixon, Alessandro Mendini and Franco Albini, some of which are being featured exclusively for the first time in the Middle East.

In an effort to engage with the UAE's emerging design communityDesign Days Dubai has invited Tashkeel (Dubai); American University of Sharjah/College of Art, Architecture and Design; ECAL/University of Art and Design, Lausanne, Switzerland, and Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar, to showcase the experimental work of their emerging designers. “Design Days Dubai thus opens doors for the UAE’s own design talent to meet and interact with international design experts and understand the newest trends,” explained Zammit.

The fair also enjoys the support and patronage of several key figures in the design world, including the UAE’s own Rami Farook, founder of Traffic, and renowned Brazillian designers, Humberto and Fernando Campana. Reflecting on their patronage extended to Design Days Dubai, the Campana brothers said, "The interest and commitment to culture in the Gulf is reflected by an unprecedented rise of galleries, artist spaces and museums, and will undoubtedly be an inspiration for artists. Design Days Dubai represents a seed, deeply planted in the Middle East, with a promising future ahead.”

For more information please visit designdaysdubai.ae.