Dubai Culture Unveils First Glimpse of Al Safa Art & Design Library at Art Dubai

Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts and heritage, has given the public its first glimpse of the Al Safa Art & Design Library — a branch of the Dubai Public Library — during the 12th edition of Art Dubai from which ran from 21st to 24thMarch 2018. Art Dubai is an integral part of Dubai Art Season, which runs throughout March and April under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of Dubai Culture.

Al Safa Art & Design Library is the pilot project of Dubai Culture’s strategic initiative to revamp all its public libraries in Dubai, which was launched by Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) in 2016. Al Safa Art & Design Library will officially open its doors to the public by end of April 2018. Far beyond a traditional library, Al Safa will serve as a dynamic platform where members of the creative community can meet, create, work, research and read.

As Art Dubai takes place during the UAE’s National Month of Reading in March, it is a particularly fitting time to share the Al Safa Library’s perfect marriage of art, design and literature, where visitors were shown a glimpse to the new Al Safa Art & Design Library, where 70% of the space is dedicated to art-related programmes and galleries, while the remaining 30% is dedicated to books and reading spaces. The library features a beautifully designed art gallery space and a creative space where emerging designers, architects and artists can collaborate, support each other’s work, and access a large collection of books and resources covering various fields of art and design including fine art, architecture, calligraphy, music, and performing art and many more. It is also home to modern multi-purpose rooms and work areas, as well as a dedicated children’s library that has been designed to engage the younger generation with an activity room, a media room, a book room and an interactive digital wall, green wall and feature wall. 

The library has been designed to reflect the Dubai Public Libraries’ purpose as prominent centres for knowledge and culture in the Emirate, also supporting the National Reading Strategy and Dubai Culture’s mission to strengthen the literature sector to bring happiness to society. In its design, the library embodies Friedrich Nietzsche’s concept of creating quiet, spacious and beautiful urban spaces for reflection that ‘express the sublimity of contemplation and aloofness’.

The new Al Safa Art & Design Library will also feature a section dedicated to showcasing materials, as well as digital content and databases including digital stock imaging libraries. It will encourage partnerships and collaboration between regional and international institutions for content generation and programming. 

The Dubai Public Library network includes eight libraries for adults and another seven for children, as well as multi-purpose halls and classrooms. All Dubai Public Library branches are connected via computer systems and have links with other modern libraries, providing access to vast sources of information and knowledge on an immense diversity of topics in both Arabic and English.