Sixth annual Beirut Design Week will dazzle

The sixth carnation of Beirut Design Week will delight the senses this month, from the 19th to the 26th, as it presents a series of talks and events on the theme “Is Design a Need?”

According to organizers, as many as 25,000 visitors are expected to flock to some 150 events peppered across the Lebanese capital.

The MENA Design Research Center, organizers of the fair, are asking participating designers to develop fresh concepts, whether on abstract or current events, through talks and workshops. Designers of all stripes will punctuate their works through curated exhibitions in various districts of Beirut over five days.

Architects, product designers, graphic designers and fashion designers all define ‘design’ in a different way, say the organizers. "The mission of this year’s fair is to encourage all designers to question and debate their craft beyond commercialization

and the marketing of luxury goods, to explore new options and look for new collaborations, and to dare explore work outside their comfort zone," according to a press release.

Co-founder Doreen Toutikian told Friends and Co. in the UK that, "When I dreamt of having a design week in my city it was about creating a community and a space where designers could share their work, interact, and collaborate. It bothered me that all designers used to leave the country to exhibit abroad and eventually immigrate for better job opportunities. Lebanon loses so much of its creative potential because of a lack of infrastructure."

Design Week also hopes to communicate some of the challenges facing the design community in the Middle East and abroad. Certainly these would include prejudice and heightened risks of terrorism - not only so close to the Syrian border, but throughout Europe and the U.S.

On that theme, the literature for the NationMetrix KED exhibit states: "International security concerns have drastically changed the process of crossing borders, and travel restrictions result in hierarchical and tangible control procedures for travellers. Roula Salamon and Ieva Saudergaite present a timely installation that offers their audience the spatial and sensorial experience of travelling as a Lebanese passport holder."

Read an interview with the event's co-founder here.

Read more about BDW and buy tickets.

Photos: Used with permission, top -"AKK Architects - Bagdadi Ceiling ©ColombeClier"; bottom - "Speculative Needs XOXO", NATIONMETRIX by Roula Salamoun & Ieva Saudargaite

Flights from Washington, DC. to Beirut will run about $675 on Qatar Airlines; flights from LA cost about $648 on Turkish Airways, $680 on Qatar, or $870 on Air France.