(UAE) – Downtown Design, taking place from 27-30 October in Dubai will feature six purpose built environments to highlight the design talent of the region.

Under the theme of Game: The Element of Play in Culture, six curators, chosen for their unconventional approach, have been given the task of best representing and defining their country’s aesthetic.

The UAE pavilion will be curated by Mobius Design Studio, a Dubai-based collective of designers informed by their shared passion for visual communication in all its forms. Founders Hadeyeh Badri, Hala Al-Ani and Riem Ibrahim, have worked with a breadth of academic and cultural institutions, from the New York University Abu Dhabi to the UAE Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

Egyptian architect, artist and storyteller Waleed Shaalan has been chosen as curator of the Kuwait pavilion. He is multidisciplinary in his approach, collaborating with a number of entities such as Atelier Jean Nouvel and Cloud 9 Barcelona. His epic career trajectory spans some of the most reputable design firms: from Perkins and Will in Chicago to SSH Design in Kuwait, winning many awards along the way, most notably at the World Architecture Awards in 2012.

Salman Jawed, co-founder of Coalesce design studio based in Karachi, was introduced to the region as an exhibitor for Design Days Dubai 2014. He returns to the UAE, this time to curate the Pakistani Pavilion; representing a nation just finding its way in contemporary design. Pioneering in every sense, Jawed has led the way in industrial design in his native country, melding new ideas with local materials to create a hybrid of past and present.

Arini is a creative platform promoting learning in the fields of design, architecture and urbanism – selected for the creative insight they will bring to curation of the Jordanian Pavilion. Founded in 2012 by three architects, Mohammad Aljabi, Heba Najada and Liyan Jabi, they endeavor to expand the boundaries of architecture and urbanism through projects and publications that ultimately influence our socio-economic and built-up environments.

The powerhouse duo behind the curation of Saudi Arabia’s pavilion are sisters Basma and Noura Bouzo who between them have helped grow the Saudi art and design scene with their magazine Oasis and the launch of the Saudi Design Week.

Finally, co-founder of architectural firm Fleury Attalah, Chacha Atallah, premiered her work to the region during Downtown Design 2014. Returning as the curator of the Tunisian pavilion, she brings her architectural training at Shigeru Ban and Kengo Kuma in Japan to bear, with a scrupulous eye for detail evident in her collections from ceramic stoneware to furniture built with Tunisian artisans.

For more information on all the projects related to Dubai Design Week visit www.downtowndesign.com