BDW2019 “Design and Nostalgia”

Beirut Design Week announced the theme, the program and the speakers of its 8^th edition.

Beirut, 11 June 2019: Beirut Design Week held a press conference on the 11^th of June at MusicHall Starco to announce the theme of its 8th edition, to reveal the program and to introduce the names of the international and local speakers who will be leading the workshops and talks.

This year, Beirut Design Week will be exploring ‘Design & Nostalgia’.

The theme merges the concept of nostalgia and the innovations of the past with modern design and all its facets.

Beirut Design Week will offer a space for both local and international creative actors and leaders to explore the relationship between nostalgia and the different design disciplines that have arisen across the years. It will also shed light on the value of heritage for the future of design. This retrospection aims to highlight Beirut’s precious “golden days” while projecting a futuristic perspective of the Lebanese design industry.

Rola Ghotmeh, Founder of The Creative 9 agency and Director of Beirut Design Week 2019 said: “Beirut Design Week is an initiative under the MENA Design Research Center NGO, and the Creative 9 agency is proud to be the curator of this wonderful design festival this year. As we learned more about this project, we felt the need to get involved in it, because not only is it a special celebration of design in the country, but it is also for a good cause. As a designer entrepreneur myself, I am personally driven by this festival and more specifically the idea of fostering creative entrepreneurship. With this in mind, this year, we decided on “nostalgia”, a trending manifestation across various design disciplines, as a theme that also highlights the paradox that we live in Lebanon on a daily basis. The theme of “Design and Nostalgia” is both an inclusive and relatable choice. We want to move people with design and art, and remind them of the positive happenings in the country, all the while providing young and established talents a voice to express themselves. We invite you to take a break from the shadows of the routine, and experience the various Lebanese design interventions, ones which when harvested, would drive better economies. We are also hosting a pool of international speakers and exhibitors, during the first week of July at BDW main venue, Starco, and we are all excited to witness this exchange between local and international creative actors and leaders.

This year, we expect an interesting mix of talents, as we exhibit works by prominent Lebanese designers across various disciplines, and bring in international speakers from Lebanese origins, middle eastern influences, or global appeal. Going about Beirut Design Week 2019, you will question the relationship between time and design, the influences of nostalgia on design, and get to live the stories that today’s technology creates when merged with traditional processes.

Last but not least we would like to thank our 3 gold sponsors STARCO, MINI and Absolut Vodka.”

The 8th edition of Beirut Design Week will begin with an opening ceremony set to take place on Monday July 1^st in STARCO, and will last until Sunday the 7^th of July.  The curated program will be held at STARCO, featuring a series of installations, exhibitions, talks and workshops by local & international creatives:

The exciting lineup of speakers and exhibitors across different disciplines includes:

  -Lina Ghotmeh | Award-winning Franco-Lebanese Architect based in Paris  July 6^th

– Mathieu Le Sourd (MAOTIK) | French New Media Artist All-week exhibition

-Thomas Ollivier | Freelance creative and art director based in London All-week exhibition

– Sofiane Si Merabet | The Confused Arab | Franco- Algerian Cultural cartographer July 4th

– Diletta Toniolo | Lecturer at Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) July 2nd

– Platau | Architecture and urbanism studio July 6^th

– Alfred Tarazi | Acclaimed Lebanese Artist July 6^th

– Pablo Sendra | Lecturer at The Bartlett School of Planning (UCL) July 4^th

-Filipa Wunderlich | Course Director of MRes Inter-Disciplinary Urban Design at The Bartlett (UCL) July 6^th
-Pascal Zoghbi | Lebanese Typographer July 3^rd

-Aoi Hasegawa | Course Leader of the Domus Academy Master in Interior Design July 6^th
-Ramsey Naja | CCO of J. Walter Thompson Middle East & Africa July 5^th

– Salim Azzam | Lebanese Award-Winning Fashion Designer July 6^th
-Johannes Torpe | Former Creative Direcor of Bang & Olufsen July 2^nd

-Nour Tabet | Senior Art Director at HUGE in Washington DC July 5^th

-Athina Papadopoulou | Senior Architect / Planning Officer at Nicosia Municipality July 6^th
-Carmel Gradoli | Adjunct professor of the Department of Architectural Composition at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura – Universitat Politècnica de València July 6^th

-Jana Traboulsi | Lebanese visual artist, graphic designer and illustrator July 5^th
-Moshtari Hilal | Visual artist from Hamburg All-week exhibition
-Adra Kandil | Lebanese Art Director  All-week exhibition

-Sarah Bahbah | Palestinian-Austrialian artist  All-week exhibition

-Sara Johannesson | Design Director at Doberman July 2^nd

In addition, a series of exhibitions and events organized by Beirut Design Week will take place across Beirut. Participants and their respective events are scheduled per region as follows:

July 1 BDW opening at STARCO

July 2 Hamra / Verdun / DownTown  + Starco

July 3 Gemmayze / Mar Mikhael / Jisr El Wati + Starco

July 4 Badaro / Achrafieh / Monot + Starco

July 5 BDW main venue Starco

July 6 BDW main venue Starco

July 7 BDW sunset closing party

Over the years, Beirut Design Week has consistently managed to bring together creatives from different parts of Lebanon to express themselves in a novel way each year. The 2019 edition will surely be yet another success, especially considering the emotional resonance of the theme that has made BDW all the more unique.