Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) has signed a long-term agreement with Tashkeel to develop the ‘Make Works UAE’ portal aimed at facilitating collaboration between the creative sector and manufacturers, fabricators and suppliers in the UAE. It also seeks to highlight the importance of the industrial sector in supporting the cultural and creative industries, reflecting Dubai Culture’s keenness to create an innovative environment for talents, entrepreneurs and SMEs. The Authority aims to stimulate the local creative manufacturing and export system and enhance Dubai’s reputation as a global hub for arts and culture.

Dubai Culture will cooperate with Tashkeel to build the Make Works UAE e-platform, in particular the directory’s content profiling manufacturing and production services through this five-year agreement to ensure its sustainability and growing value as an open access information provider, expanding the number of profiles on local manufacturers, fabricators and suppliers. The partnership will support emerging manufacturers and SMEs by enabling them to promote their businesses and services to the creative industries.In addition, Make Works UAE will offer an annual series of workshops and talks focused on manufacturing and making aimed at manufacturers, suppliers, creative talents and entrepreneurs.

Khulood Khoory, Director of the Projects & Events Department at Dubai Culture, said: “Dubai Culture harnesses its capabilities to enhance the strength of the cultural and creative industries in the emirate and empower its creative economy, in addition to uniting efforts aimed at supporting entrepreneurs and talents and raising the efficiency of the production and export sector in the cultural and creative industries. This is in line with Dubai’s cultural vision of cementing the emirate’s position as a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity and a thriving hub for talent.”

Khoory affirmed the necessity of facilitating communication between artists, designers and local production companies, adding: “The cooperation between Dubai Culture and Tashkeel represents an advanced step on the road to developing the cultural and creative industries in Dubai and the UAE. Make Works UAE is an innovative interactive platform that shall foster greater collaboration with the manufacturing industries, enabling local production capabilities to grow and further strengthening its contribution to the local economy.”

Khoory continued: “Expanding Make Works UAE reflects Dubai Culture’s keenness to activate dialogue between the design and arts sectors and the local manufacturing community, as well as strengthening the system of cultural and creative industries based on an integrated chain consisting of four elements: innovation, production, distribution, and access channels for products and services resulting from this sector, which ensures its sustainability and highlights its positive effects.”

Lisa Ball-Lechgar, Deputy Director of Tashkeel said, “Tashkeel welcomes the support of Dubai Culture in developing Make Works UAE as a major production resource for the cultural and creative industries, offering insight into the range of industries, materials, processes, machines and products available within the Emirate of Dubai and beyond. At the heart of any sector’s growth is collaboration. Make Works UAE seeks to advocate this by sharing information on manufacturing knowledge, skills and services so that more artists, designers and creatives living and working here can produce locally and to the highest standards.”

Make Works UAE is a directory of local manufacturers, fabricators and suppliers that seeks to facilitate communication between local creative and production companies, contributing to stimulating innovative ideas and translating them into reality, thereby supporting the Made in UAE brand.

The portal currently includes content of more than 20 companies working in wood and leather designs, printing, ceramics, jewellery, etc., including 10 companies based in Al Quoz Creative Zone, with average page views of the portal being up to 3,000 pages per week. According to the agreement, over the next five years, Make Works UAE shall add verified profiles of 150 manufacturers, fabricators and suppliers operating in Dubai and the UAE alongside a programme of talks and workshops.

Make Works UAE was launched by Tashkeel in 2017 and remains the first and only platform outside Europe affiliated to the Make Works network, which is headquartered at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), Fab City Research Lab Barcelona, and sits within Fab City’s Distributed Design platform, funded by Creative Europe. The network currently consists of Make Works UAE, Iceland, Scotland, Catalonia, Paris, Derbyshire (England), Milan, Vienna and Budapest.