Highlights from Beirut Design Week 2013

While international news stations report Lebanon's descent into the Syrian crisis, its capital is awash with exhibition openings during Beirut Design Week (BDW). Such sensational contrasts are part of the daily drudgery here however, and pressing on with the business of creative production is a vote of confidence for the future of Beirut.
Here, the disparity between what design means to the consumer and what it means to the producer remains agape. Experiencing both sides in close proximity is one of the pleasures of BDW. You can see Rima Khatib's design art by the pool at Le Gray hotel, drive into the mountains for a demo of Architettura Sonora's site-specific speakers, attend a panel discussion with Michael Anastassiades, and catch the Newcomers show with its unusual prints and outlandish prototypes.
Despite its hyped-up status among the lifestyle set, the 'design capital of the Middle East' is a fledgling scene. Doreen Toutikian and Maya Karanouh co-founded the MENA Design Research Center in 2010, with incubation from Tagbrands. The pair set up BDW, which Toutikian sees foremost as a tribute to local Lebanese talent. 'Design exhibitions in Qatar, Dohar and Dubai always include Lebanese creators but they don't usually have a platform at home.'
Now in its second year, BDW is a bid to stimulate a more coherent design community connected with the realities of its location. The week is heavy on discussions and demonstrations, culminating in a two-day conference at the American University of Beirut.
At Karim Bekdache architects, traditional spaghetti-chair making demos accompany an installation 'Who Shot Arne Jacobsen' bemoaning the rise of fakes, while at Atelier S/Z passers by can make mini-lamps on shelves alongside conceptual shisha pipes (AKA redesigned hookahs) and a bricolaged take on local chair shapes.
Rapid Manufactory is our favourite example of creative Beirut's capacity to combine the incongruous. Located in a former bakery, it is the first 3D print shop in the Middle East and crams three giant printing machines into its little studio. This week Rapid Manufactory is exhibiting the resulting products made by Guillaume Credoz, cast in ceramics from 3D printed plastic moulds, alongside hand-cast pots by Souraya Haddad, in a lively example of what BDW is about - celebrating the process of live creative production against the odds.
The store at Maria Halios Design, one of the many venues of Beirut Design Week
Installed in the windows of Maria Halios Design are ceramics by Manoussos Khalkiadakis
Ceramic balloons by Manoussos Khalkiadakis
Rapid Manufactory is an example of creative Beirut's capacity to combine the incongruous. Located in a former bakery, it is the first 3D print shop in the Middle East and crams three giant printing machines into its little studio
'Bride on a Hook' lamp by Guillaume Credoz at Rapid Manufactory
'Painappuru' lamp by Guillaume Credoz
'LUVRBell' lamp by Guillaume Credoz
'Knight Bridge' modular wall ceramic piece by Guillaume Credoz
'Charleston' coat hook by Rima Khatib for her Hide and Seek exhibit at Le Gray
The POSTextiles showcase within the Newcomers exhibition at Atelier NS included new pieces by Laura Martinez
Textiles by Laura Martinez
New gouache works by Central Saint Martins graduate Jo Baaklini at the Newcomers exhibition at Atelier NS
Prints by Jo Baaklini
Prints by Jo Baaklini
Architettura Sonora's site-specific speakers installation in the gardens of the villa office of landscape architect Vladimir Durovic in Broumana, outside Beirut
Traditional spaghetti-chair making demonstrations at Karim Bekdache architects...
... accompany an installation 'Who Shot Arne Jacobsen' bemoaning the rise of fakes
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Kasia Maciejowska is a writer and editor covering arts and culture. Her first book The House of Beauty and Culture (ICA, 2016) was about a radical London crafts collective, and she’s currently working on a monograph about Moroccan-French photographer Leila Alaoui (Skira, 2026). Consultancy clients include museums, galleries, design studios, and futures agencies. She also runs a creative career mentoring network for young refugee women
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