Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office and Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) have announced the renewal of a partnership to launch joint initiatives to provide the community with new creative experiences in Dubai’s public spaces.

The announcement was made during a meeting held at the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO) between Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), and Mona Al Marri, Director General of GDMO. As part of the new partnership, the two organisations will work closely with each other to launch projects that will consolidate efforts to realise Dubai’s vision to transform itself into an open-air museum.

A fresh series of initiatives to be implemented by Brand Dubai and RTA will see them working with local and international artists to enrich Dubai’s public environment and create new connections with the public through art and other forms of creative expression. The renewal of the partnership is the continuation of a fruitful three-year collaboration which resulted in several unique collaborative creative projects.

Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said: “We are looking forward to combining our resources and capabilities with Brand Dubai to roll out another series of creative projects that will add a new vitality to Dubai’s urban spaces. Our previous three-year partnership had yielded several projects that brought the community together to celebrate art, creativity, culture and heritage. RTA is committed to working with leading organisations and artists to transform the environment that Dubai offers to both residents and visitors. Through the next phase of joint projects, we seek to creatively enrich a new set of public spaces in Dubai that will allow the community to relate to these areas in unique new ways.”

Mona Al Marri, Director General of the Government of Dubai Media Office said: “Brand Dubai is pleased to further extend its collaboration with RTA to launch a new set of projects that make Dubai’s public spaces more inspiring and engaging. Building on our previous three-year partnership, we will be jointly implementing fresh initiatives to infuse a new creative energy and artistic liveliness into the emirate’s urban environment, as part of Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision to transform Dubai into the world’s best city to live in and work. These projects seek to celebrate the rich heritage, modern cosmopolitan character and future aspirations of the city, in addition to enhancing the quality of life and happiness of people who live in and visit Dubai. We believe these initiatives will also support efforts to promote creativity and innovation and attract talent, tourism and investment into our city.”

Rowdah Al Mehrizi, Director of Marketing and Corporate Communication, at the Roads and Transport Authority, said: “We are very happy to launch a new phase of our partnership with Brand Dubai, as part of our commitment to working with our strategic partners to enrich the public spaces where people live, interact and commune. RTA will continue to work closely with Brand Dubai to create exciting platforms to showcase art and other forms of creativity. This partnership strongly reflects our keenness to work with other organisations to highlight Dubai’s identity and values and raise the city’s profile as a creative hub and a lifestyle destination.”

Nehal Badri, Director of Brand Dubai said: “We are excited about the new possibilities that the second phase of our partnership with RTA will bring. By synergising our assets and competencies, we look forward to offering exciting new creative experiences to the public. Brand Dubai will pool its strengths with RTA to undertake joint projects that will creatively reinvigorate community spaces and facilities across Dubai and will contribute to deepening people’s connection with urban spaces and their sense of identity, inclusiveness and community, apart from driving innovation and economic vitality.”

In 2018, Brand Dubai and RTA implemented the Dubai Metro Murals Project, which saw international artists paint murals on pillars of the Dubai Metro on Sheikh Zayed Road between the Dubai International Financial Centre and Emirates Towers stations. As part of the Jumeira Project, the two organisations also launched a series of public art installations at bus stops in 2020 to raise the neighbourhood’s profile as a social and creative destination.

In 2019, Brand Dubai and RTA organised the Metro Music Festival, which featured performances by a host of musicians from both traditional and non-traditional genres of music at Dubai Metro stations. In the same year, they jointly launched the first phase of the Parking Metres Project that saw parking machines in prominent areas being turned into beautiful artworks.