Remaining true to the promises of its first edition, Beirut Design Fair continues to take the utmost care in the structure of its selection committee to reflect its positioning and vision.
The fair founders and the Committee will work alongside, developing and fostering a selection based on quality, creativity, diversity, innovation and ancestral know-how. The Lebanese design scene is deeply rooted, plural, dynamic, and connected to the contemporary world, in perpetual reinvention.
Seeking quality first and foremost, the role of the Selection Committee is to allow the fair to find a balance between national and international exhibitors, between established and emerging or independent designers, Lebanese or Internationals. This interaction is essential to maintain the primary orientation of Beirut Design Fair: to become the design showcase of the Mediterranean, where all collaborations are made possible beyond frontiers.
Aline Asmar d’Amman, Lina Ghotmeh, Karim Chaya, Marc Baroud and Mathias Ohrel embrace a close relationship to Beirut, this ever-evolving city with a particular openness to the contemporary world. Interior architects, architects, designers, creative minds, and unique talent hunters, they all hold mankind in the core of their endeavours. They will participate closely to the elaboration of the fair, the selection of exhibitors, and the grant of the three Design Awards of the 2018 edition.
Furthermore, Lebanese architect and renowned interior designer Aline Asmar d’Amman was chosen as the Ambassador of Beirut Design Fair. Her exuberant energy, generosity, enthusiasm, and singular expertise are the perfect combination to become the advocate for Beirut Design Fair, an event with an international calling.
ALINE ASMAR D’AMMAN
Culture in Architecture
Born in Beirut in the context of war and adversity, Aline Asmar d’Amman built a shield made of words, literature and artistic references, an armor against external chaos. Void and demolition forged her aesthetic for theatrical settings and cathedrals of light; she naturally turned to architecture in a country of rebirth and reconstruction.
In 2011, Aline Asmar d’Amman founded Culture in Architecture in Beirut and Paris, with the deep belief in the power of beauty to elevate the soul. Seeking spaces with intense resonance, Culture in Architecture cultivates narrative statements born from tense dialogues between the raw and the precious, with specific attention to the use of primary stones and handcrafted materials. Uniting heritage and innovation, Aline garners constant inspiration from all forms of creative expression from art to fashion, bridging cultures and their know how with forward thinking re-interpreting the past to the future.
Aline Asmar d’Amman is currently developing prestigious projects across the globe in the fields of private residential, hospitality, scenography and furniture design. After firmly establishing herself in the design world by leading the renovation of the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris, the decoration of some of the palaces’ exceptional areas and a collaboration with design icon Karl Lagerfeld, Aline will soon be unveiling exciting projects in 2018, with the same attention to architectural details and bold storytelling.
LINA GHOTMEH
Lina Ghotmeh – Architecture, Paris
Lina Ghotmeh is an award‐winning Architect. She is the founder of Paris based international and multidisciplinary practice Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture.
Working across scales and geographies, Lina Ghotmeh draws her international reputation from her persona and a series of cutting edge yet extremely sensitive designs: the Estonian National Museum, the major cultural heart for Estonia delivered in 2016, winner of the Grand Prix Afex and nominee for the Mies Van Der Rohe Prize; The newly refurbished restaurant “Les Grands Verres” ‐ a complete works of arts set in the premise of the Palais de Tokyo – winner of the best restaurant design 2017; “Wonderlab” exhibition for French National Treasures recently delivered in Japan and voted as “The Best Exhibition” in Tokyo.
Acclaimed by the international press as one of the “10 most visionary architects for the new decade”, she is spoken of as the “archeologue of the future” with her interventions emerging from nature as traces soliciting our memories and senses. Her current practice’s works include “Réalimenter Masséna” an innovative 14-storey wooden tower ongoing in Paris ‐ winner of the call of innovative projects by the city of Paris and ‘Stone Garden’ tower emerging as a sculpted mass in her birth city Beirut.
Among her gained awards, she was prized the French Ministry of Culture AJAP Award, the European 40 under 40 Award and the Prix Dejean by the French Academy of Architecture in 2016.
MARC BAROUD
SPE conseil développement édition, Paris
Marc Baroud Design Studio, Beirut
Marc Baroud is a designer, with work spanning over various fields. His enthusiasm for new ventures led him to experiment his approach in projects that are seemingly unrelated to design. In his method, the process is designed first, thus turning it into a stand-alone outcome as this process takes a form of its own.
In 2012, he founded the Design Department at Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts which he directed from 2012 to 2017. He used his same design approach to shift the vision of design education, with new curricula, envisioning design as broader discipline than how it is generally perceived; one limited to creating aesthetics.
Based between Paris and Beirut, his projects include commercial architecture, interior design, furniture, services and brand development. As a product designer, he works on a large scope of industrial, artisanal and experimental projects, working with start-ups as well as well as big corporations.
His collectible works have been shown in Beirut, Milan, Dubai, Paris, London, Design/Miami and Design/Miami Basel.
KARIM CHAYA
ACID & spockdesign
After graduating in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design, Beirut-born Karim Chaya co‐founded Abillama Chaya Industrial Design (ACID) in 1997.
ACID, which specializes in design, manufacturing and installation of architectural detailing, currently employs 170 craftsmen, architects, and administrators, and handles projects across the globe. In addition, ACID has now opened a branch in the USA, based in New York. In 2001, Chaya started spockdesign, a company devoted to furniture and product design. He also actively contributes to Blatt Chaya, a family owned, traditional, colored‐cement tile producer that was originally founded in 1881.
He has been invited to showcase in many exhibitions locally and internationally, where his furniture, accessories as well as his installations have been presented. His work has been published in the local and international press including L’Officiel Design, Monocle, Interior Design, Interni and The Daily Star.
MATHIAS OHREL
m-O
When Kenzo Takada left his eponymous label, nearly 20 years ago, Mathias Ohrel was in the house and created an avatar for the most Parisian of Japanese designers: kOzen ([kaos]&[zen]). It was a cultural label designed to edit the brand’s communication projects, art sponsorships, events, books, special projects and the awarded magazine www.kOzen.com, gathering an important community around its content.
Mathias later became a journalist and editor (Les Inrockuptibles, Vogue, Magazine, Jalouse, Mixt(e), Rezo, Elle, Radio Nova, L’Officiel, Beaux Arts Magazine, DS and many others), along with managing his own consultancy in strategy and communication for the likes of Dior, Hermès, Puiforcat, Colette, the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art, Galeries Lafayette, Paris Première, Canal +…
Mathias launched m-O Conseil in 2009, giving the creative industry (fashion, luxury, design, architecture, culture, entertainment, media) the breath of fresh air it needs in recruitment. Mathias helps brands and organizations install their vision and their voice. And recruits for them the key personalities, capable of seeing and saying their future. m-O team constructs alchemies.
Mathias was the head editor for the special issues of Beaux Arts Magazine, “La Société de la Fashion” and “Vies modes d’emploi.” He directed the Men Under Construction book, published by Editions du Regard jointly with Première Vision, and writes Rencontres, published by Magazine.
BDF
En quelques mots
Defining and affirming the identity of Lebanese design in all its richness and detail is what Beirut Design Fair has achieved in its first edition in 2017, where it showcased the work and ideas of over 100 Lebanese designers, while welcoming an impressive 16,700 visitors.
Building on the success of its first edition, Beirut Design Fair endeavors to reveal in 2018 – on both a national and international scale – the effervescence that characterizes a creative scene which is at once global and rooted in tradition, one which today constitutes an important meeting point for local and international energies. Moreover, one of the principal objectives of the fair is to bring together a creative community by providing space and time for dialogue, exchange, interaction and cooperation.
The 2nd edition of Beirut Design Fair will be held at Seaside Arena – Hall 2, Beirut Central district, New Waterfront, from September 20th to 23rd, with a VIP Opening on September 19th.
Beirut Design Fair is organized by co-founders Guillaume Taslé d’Héliand and Hala Moubarak, with the support of its founding partner, Creditbank.