Heritage, tech and foreign guests at Beirut Design Week

Beirut Design Week, the city’s most extensive platform to promote and connect the local design industry, will kick off Monday with six days of open houses, workshops and lectures.

This year includes more than 80 events hosted by local design studios and visiting industry professionals, including guest speakers British fashion journalist Hilary Alexander and London-based artist Mona Hatoum. The week will incorporate new technology workshops, a focus on urban design and preservation, and a larger presence of foreign participants than in past years.

“There are many more international designers coming from abroad,” said Maya Karanouh, chair of the MENA Design Research Center, which founded the design week in 2012. This year has drawn some 21 visiting participants, with French product designers, British curators and a whole exhibition dedicated to the Dutch creative industry.

In past years, participants from abroad included lecturers and workshop instructors; this will be the first year foreign designers are exhibited. Beirut Souks will host from June 9 to 14 Dutch Design and Danish Architecture exhibitions.

“This year is pretty interesting because the new Dutch Ambassador [Hester Somsen] really wanted to make a statement, not only from a cultural perspective for the economic benefit. She tried to get the best people, who’ve had the most success to come join,” said Doreen Toutikian, director of the MENA Design Research Center.

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Heritage, tech and foreign guests at Beirut Design Week