Hong Kong design graduates show life-improving tech at global student fair
Devices to help dyslexics read fluently, mothers to pump breast milk elegantly, isolated old people to play social games and all of us to use less water in the shower feature at Dubai Design Week
From a low-cost, Braille-friendly smartphone cover for the blind, to a raincoat that transforms into a sleeping bag or tent for refugees, Dubai Design Week’s exhibition of young graduates’ projects offers hope that a new generation of designers is more concerned with improving quality of life than simply churning out yet another iteration of the modern chair.
“It is good to feel that you are working towards some kind of progress as a young designer, as opposed to maintenance of an existing system. That is not inspiring to a young designer,” says the exhibition’s curator, Brendan McGetrick.
Touted as the largest student gathering ever assembled, the exhibition, held in October at Dubai’s new d3 design district, comprised 145 projects drawn from 50 universities in 30 countries and regions, a threefold increase from last year.
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Projects were arranged according to three themes: designs that empower by offering new ways to expand capabilities; designs that connect through encouraging exchange and building communities; and designs that sustain through reducing waste and generating energy.
“If you look at enough projects, themes naturally emerge,” McGetrick says. “These are the issues of their day.”
One hot issue is the challenges facing old people and those who are disabled.
