A press conference was held this morning at ESA Business School to announce the first edition of Beirut Design Fair in the presence of Guillaume Taslé d’Héliand, founder and director of Beirut Design fair, and Hala Moubarak, co-founder and head of exhibitor relations, Dany Abboud, member of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists, Yasser Akkaoui, Edoardo Crisafulli, directeur de l’Institut Culturel Italien, Eric Lebas, Attaché Culturel à l’Institut français du Liban, as well as representatives of partner institutions, and designers.
The first edition of Beirut Design Fair, held from 20 to 24 september2017, will 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.
Guillaume Taslé d’Héliand stated: «Our objective is to promote recognition of Lebanon’s proper place: at the forefront of creativity in the region. We have here assembled evidence confirming that Beirut has both the legitimacy and the means to become a capital of design. »
Hala Moubarak said: « The work of Lebanese designers is the fruit of innovative, moving, and elegant ideas; sometimes, research and the desire to preserve ancestral craftsmanship lead to an invaluable creative inspiration. »
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 will provide a dedicated space in which participants and visitors will be encouraged to exchange ideas, perspectives and discoveries. In the Land of the Cedar, home to one of the world’s oldest cultures, The Banquet will be situated on a large dining table sculpted from 50,000-year-old wood, around which participants will be 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 is organizing 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). They will also participate in the attribution of the Beirut Design Award for creativity and innovation during the salon.
Beirut Design Fair will also be a forum for exchange, offering four days of stimulating events, conferences, roundtables, and design opportunities.
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.
Facebook: BeirutDesignFair
Instagram: beirutdesignfair
#BeirutDesignFair