Beirut, Thursday September 21st, 2017 – Under the patronage of H.E Minister of Economy Raed Khoury, the 1st edition of Beirut Design Fair, was inaugurated yesterday at Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure (BIEL, Hall 3).
Guillaume Taslé d’Héliand, founder and director of Beirut Design fair, and Hala Moubarak, co-founder and head of exhibitor relations said: “With a geostrategic position at the crossroads of Eastern and Western worlds, Beirut is the meeting point of countless designs. It has proven to be the irrefutable hub for multiple creations and creators. Beirut Design Fair came as a natural endeavor”
For its first edition held until 24 September, Beirut Design Fair unite some of the best and most notable names in Lebanese design – brands, designers, galleries, distributors, and exceptional artisans.
The goal of the fair is to be a challenging and high-level platform upon which to demonstrate the legitimacy of Lebanon’s place at the heart of the international design scene. In its endeavors and objectives Beirut Design Fair attempts to meet the expectations of design lovers, collectors and professionals alike through the search for new creations, fresh ideas, and unique and inspiring innovation in the realm of design.
Tarek Khalifé, Chairman and General Manager – Creditbank, Founding Partner said: “Our culture is an infusion of cultures past and present, and holds in abundance a creativity that manifests itself locally and abroad in markets that have assigned a premium reputation to Lebanese designers”
Beirut Design Fair: Four days of effervescence
The first edition of Beirut Design Fair seeks to gather the best galleries and established designers alongside the emerging creators who represent a rising, yet still relatively unknown generation. The fair is an embodiment of Lebanon itself: filled with surprises, beauty, and interesting exchanges, and permeated by an inspiring and dynamic energy.
Since its inception, Beirut Design Fair has prioritized quality, creativity, and a cosmopolitan spirit, an emphasis which makes the selection of Studio Adrien Gardère a natural and obvious choice for the direction of set design. The collaboration between Beirut Design Fair and Studio Adrien Gardère is intended to generate a spatial language unique to the fair, forged in a spirit of cooperation while keeping in mind the creative singularity of each participant. Inspired by the contrasts in the urban nature of the city – its winding roads, mix of light and shadow, and the charm at the meeting of East and West – the design of the fair guides visitors along a dynamic and contemporary path.
At the heart of the fair, The Banquet provides a dedicated space in which participants and visitors are encouraged to exchange ideas, perspectives and discoveries. In the Land of the Cedar, home to one of the world’s oldest cultures, The Banquet is situated on a large dining table sculpted from 50,000-year-old wood, around which participants are invited to gather and taste some of Lebanon’s greatest delicacies, provided by renowned chef Maroun Chedid.
The French fair MAISON&OBJET partner of Beirut Design Fair for its first edition in 2017 organize during the fair in Beirut an event targeting architects and interior decorators with the presence of a specially dedicated team. In return, MAISON&OBJET will host Lebanese designers in its September 2018 edition in France. A special platform, “Rising Talents”, will be dedicated to them where visitors will discover “the talents of today and tomorrow”.
Beirut Design Fair presents SPOT ON! a platform putting under the spotlight young and emerging talents of a new generation of designers. These designers will showcase one or two creations in a shared pavilion.
For its first edition, Beirut Design Fair has assembled an exceptional selection committee whose members are attached to Beirut and Lebanon either by origin or by affinity: Aline Asmar d’Amman (architect, interior designer and artistic director), India Mahdavi (architect, designer and interior designer), Marc Baroud (designer, director of the design department of the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts), Marianne Brabant (from Modern and Contemporary Department of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Paris), and Mathias Orhel (founder of m-0 creative recruitment
consultancy).
The first edition of Beirut Design Fair presents mainly Lebanese designers at international level and some are exhibiting for the first time in Beirut:392RMEIL393, ALBA, ALBI, AMBIENTE BEYROUTH, ANASTASIA NYSTEN, ARCHITECTURE & MECANISMES, ARDECO, BEIRUT MAKERS, BOISSELIERS DU RIF, BRUT, CARWAN GALLERY, D-TAB, DAMJ DESIGN, DECO AID, ELIE METNI, FABRACA STUDIOS, FADI SARIEDDINE DESIGN STUDIO, FARES HABER/FRS, GALERIE PIERRE GHATTAS, HAWINI, HICHAM GHANDOUR, IWAN MAKTABI, JOY MARDINI DESIGN GALLERY, KARINA SUKAR INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN, MAD ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN, MAISON TARAZI, MARIE MUNIER, MARINE BUSTROS, NADA RIZK, NAMIKA ATELIER, OPUS MAGNUM GALLERY, PAOLA SAKR, RALNAS, RALPH METNI, RAMY BOUTROS, RENDER DESIGN RESIDENCY, SAHAR BIZRI, SANDY LYEN, SOURAYA HADDAD-CREDOZ, STARCH FOUNDATION, STUDIO A, TAREK ELKASSOUF, TOUFIC MATTA, WALID SFEIR & ASSOCIATES.
Beirut Design Fair program includes conferences and roundtables under the following topics:
- “For optimal results, apply the Milanese model” by Matteo Origoni
- “Leading by Design” by Marzia Arico and Joe Ayoub
- “What’s old is new again” by Guillaume Cuiry, Pierre Ghattas and Jean Marc Lelouch
- “Maison Tarazi: on History, Adaptation and mutation” by Camille Tarazi, Aline Asmar D’Amman, Rana Nasr and Galal Mahmoud
- “Renewable spaces: a dynamic platform for collaborative creations“ by Karim Nader
- “Italian Design: what else?” by Matteo Origoni
- “Beirut: a hub for international residencies” by Joy Mardini
- “Beirut Designs Beirut conçoit” by Nadine Touma and Hala Moubarak
A special event will take place on Sunday September 24th: an auction sale directed by Valerie Arcache Aouad, of 3D printed limited edition chairs by designer Guillaume Crédoz
The fair presents a VIP space conceived by HOME Magazine – The soul of Lebanon.
Reviving the essence of the glorious Land or the Cedars through an outstanding display of digital art wonders, champagne bubbles and a scrumptious burst of flavors.
A multi-sensory experience, a celebration of one ultimate bond: a country called Lebanon, with a single objective: to live it.
About Beirut Design Fair
Beirut Design Fair will be held at BIEL (the Beirut International Exhibition & Leisure Center) from September 20 till 24, 2017.
Conceived and organized Guillaume Taslé d’Héliand and Hala Moubarak, the fair has been enriched by the international expertise of Special Advisor Bénédicte Colpin.
The fair will be both simultaneous with and adjacent to BEIRUT ART FAIR, the contemporary art fair which since 2010 has promoted the artistic and cultural vibrancy of Beirut, of Lebanon and of the ME.NA countries (Middle East – North Africa). During these four days, the contemporary art and design fairs will provide space and opportunities for the creative energies of Beirut to flourish and thrive.
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