global grad show 2019 exhibits products that promote conscious living

gathering together over 150 graduates from 43 different countries, the global grad show 2019 exhibits the largest and most diverse showcase of universities and their creative students to date. every year, the event not only highlights the most thought-provoking designs – both conceptual and realized – from the newest graduates but also acts as hub for the future, where business opportunities are born, design careers launched and real world solutions kick-started. a key part of dubai design week 2019, it is open between november 12 – 16, 2019.

all images courtesy of global grad show

for 2019, the global grad show received a record number of applications. 150 graduates from universities spread across six continents and 43 different countries were eventually selected to showcase, based on how the responded to a range of criteria critical to the show: innovation, impact, equality, and exchange. ranging from the fields of science to technology and engineering, the design work shown challenges pressing issues of our world today. they explore health, wealth and disparity, gender and equality, sustainability, education, and technology.

‘global grad show is a coming together of the brightest young minds in the design industry, showcasing projects from over 100 schools this year. the curatorial approach of this year aims to show the connections between different spheres of human existence; as visitors walk through the exhibition, they will experience projects related to the human first, moving on to the home and community and finally the city, and planet,’ explains eleanor watson, curator of the global grad show 2019. ‘our hope is that it will inspire others to think critically about how they live, while inspiring all of us to act consciously.’

the event is an exchange of diverse, youthful creativity as well as a hub of international opportunities – much like dubai design week in itself. no more is this the case than with the global grad show’s new initiative called the entrepreneurship programme. graduates will receive extra support as they take their next steps towards launching their designs into markets. this is initially through an online training process that explores the fundamentals of business-thinking and social communication. afterwards up to 20 projects will be selected for a ‘boot camp’ in dubai where the students can fine-tune their start-up concept as well as develop their pitching skills. lastly, the final stage connects participants with business accelerators, UAE-based entrepreneurs and other collaborative opportunities to fully and feasibly spread their solutions to the world.

held from november 12-16, see highlights of the global grad show 2019 exhibition below. these thought-provoking projects range from informative first aid tools to biodegradable furniture, as they look to better our future.

organico by philipp hainke, university of the arts berlin, germany

swift – at home prosthetic leg by smruti adya, school of visual arts, USA

first aid gloves, anna koppmann, university of the arts berlin, germany

bio iridescent sequin by elissa brunato, central saint martins, UK

insulata by fergus vaux, nottingham trent university, UK

CLASS IS OVER! by xiaoqian mou, hunan university, china

poleno, juan josé martínez guerrero and laura cragnolini pottecher, istituto europeo di design, madrid

stand up for a safer childbirth by malin björklund, konstfack university of arts, craft and design, sweden

exhibition info:

exhibit: global grad show

event: dubai design week

dates: november 12 – 16, 2019