The inaugural edition of We Design Beirut, a dynamic citywide festival that celebrated the best of Lebanese design, ran from 23–26 May. The immersive event, founded by Mariana Wehbe in partnership with industrial designer Samer Alameen and visual communications studio Bananamonkey, delivered a vibrant programme enacted over the city’s various venues of historical or architectural importance. A host of supplementary designer showcases, exhibitions, open studios, talks and workshops were also on offer, spread across the capital city.
A standout feature came in the form of Iwan Maktabi’s installations titled ‘Forgotten Spaces’ and ‘Lab Story—A Retrospective’. Iwan Maktabi is an iconic third-generation brand, renowned for creating artisanal pieces that are rooted in craftsmanship and heritage. It was here represented by siblings Mohamed, Chirine and Mona Maktabi. It staged the striking exhibits at its flagship store in Beirut’s Achrafieh district.
The Maktabi siblings’ vision revolves around merging the brand’s craftsmanship and reverence for age-old traditions of handmade carpets with the world of contemporary art and design. In addition to producing its own collections, Iwan Maktabi has branched out with an intriguing mix of collaborations with artists, designers and architects by setting up an innovation-driven ‘Iwan Maktabi Lab’.
Chirine tells us, ‘Shaped by a deep appreciation for the rich culture, beautiful land, captivating craftspeople and contemporary designers of the Middle East, the inspiration for setting up the Lab was sown in 2011 with a charity project titled “one carpet for love”. Several hand-picked Lebanese designers were asked to a create design each for a rug to be produced by Iwan Maktabi, with sale proceeds going towards an NGO selected by the purchaser of the carpet.’
This enterprise started in 2020 as a research hub for special projects, focusing on design influenced by culture, creativity, and craftsmanship. The Lab aims to create sustainable and inventive designs, by merging technology and innovative materials with traditional weaving techniques and other crafts. It invites creatives from diverse fields to contribute their vision
to handcrafted designs, providing them with necessary tools and expertise.
The exhibition’s ground floor offered ‘Lab Story–A Retrospective’. This featured the brand’s much-lauded ‘Terminal G project’ launched last year in collaboration with design curator and creative director Samer Yamani. The project was the first of its kind, a collection of carpets commissioned by Iwan Maktabi working with designers from the five countries of the Gulf region, Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Installations on display involved a range of architects and designers such as David/Nicolas, Edouard Cabay and Roula Salamoun, who have worked alongside the brand to develop limited-edition carpets and collectible designs. Viewers were able to experience the design process, and appreciate how these collaborations have continued to push the boundaries of weaving techniques.
Meanwhile, the underground floor featured the exhibition ‘Forgotten Spaces’, designed by Thomas Modeen, which explored the aesthetic potential of tapestry and carpets for overlooked horizontal and vertical areas of interior spaces, paying attention to corners, transitional spaces and doorways.
Chirine concludes, ‘A platform like We Design Beirut is crucial to promoting local talents and creativity on a global scale. It simultaneously provides networks and opportunities for the local design industry and encourages global dialogues.’
Aisha Zaman
