We Design Beirut Returns After Four Years
A Beirut design fair has made a comeback after Lebanon’s economic meltdown forced a four-year hiatus,
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After a long absence due to Lebanon’s severe economic downturn, the Beirut Design Fair has made a remarkable comeback, showcasing works in locations still bearing the scars of the devastating 2020 port explosion.
Creativity in Crisis
Ending last Sunday, We Design Beirut was a vibrant four-day event that displayed the works of over 150 designers and artisans across various venues in the capital. The event was organized by Mariana Wehbe and industrial designer Samer Alameen, who aimed to highlight the resilience and diversity of Lebanese design despite everything happening.
The fair, which first launched in 2010, had to be paused in 2019 when Lebanon’s economy took a steep downturn, later classified by the World Bank as one of the worst economic crises in recent global history.
Then the plans to revive the fair in October last year were postponed after the outbreak of the Gaza war.
A Hub for Design and Creativity
Speaking from Villa Audi, one of the venues of the fair, William Wehbe highlighted the work done to reestablish Beirut as a hub for design and creativity. The local design community has been hard-hit, with many creatives moving abroad for better opportunities, especially after the port explosion that destroyed workshops and disrupted the supply of primary materials.
Inside Villa Audi, a mirror installation took center stage while large mushroom-shaped lamps lit the gardens.
Lamp designer Zein Daouk said she turned to ceramics after the office of her architecture firm was destroyed in the blast.
Preserving Traditional Crafts
Mariana Wehbe highlighted the economic burden on local artisans, as many of them have lost their jobs as designers and they had to leave the country. She also emphasized the importance of preserving handcrafts, as some of them were “at risk of extinction.
In a testament to the evolving artisanal scene, Dima Stephan, shared how she learned how to work with rattan furniture and how she has been reinventing the traditional Lebanese chair-making craft, traditionally reserved for men, by incorporating modern design elements.
The fair also presented designs made from recycled materials, in a country known for its waste crises.
In addition to that, Plastc Lab displayed a giant installation made of recycled plastic and shaped like a volcanic eruption, in an abandoned textile factory in Beirut’s Armenian district.
