OPEN DAY | SUNDAY MAY 21 2017



Celebrating Beirut's Cultural Landscape and Built Heritage

The Civil Campaign to Protect the Dalieh of Raouche and Save Beirut Heritage

As part of Heritage Watch Day, we invite you to join the series of scheduled events and site specific tours in both the neighborhood of Zokak el Blat - where the endangered Heneine Palace is located - and Dalieh of Raouche - situated next to the iconic Pigeon Rocks along a stretch of Beirut's coast threatened by real estate projects. Throughout the day, visitors can join one of the multiple guided tours in Zokak el Blatt that will highlight the neighborhood's rich history, heritage buildings and traditional architecture. Visitors are also invited to enjoy the open air festival in Dalieh that includes performances, artistic interventions, guided tours and fishermen boat rides.

For more details on the program, please visit the facebook event page.


Discover Tripoli: Architecture & Craftsmanship

Architects for Change is organizing a trip to Tripoli, the capital of the North. Join a journey of discovery, diving into the heritage and culture of Lebanon’s second largest city, exploring an architectural hub, where modern and medieval blend easily into a lively and hospitable metropolis - from Mamluke and Ottoman, Souks, Khans, Hammams, to the landmark of Oscar Neimeyer - the Rashid Karami Fair, and a rich cluster of craftsmanship and trades, from tailors, jewelers, perfumers, tanners, to soap-makers.

Meet us on Sunday, May 21, at Downtown Beirut – next to Virgin Megastores, at 8 am.

For bookings, contact us at info@architectsforchange.org – or +961 81 661 996


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TESTING A NEW PLAY EXPERIENCE WITH MYTOWN, 2:00-4:00PM

A chance to be among the first to play with MyTown, a new customizable wooden toy system designed and manufactured in Lebanon. The designers will be on hand to learn what you want from your play experience. Kids and adults welcome. Feel free to join us any time from 2pm to 4pm. Location: KED, Karantina

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DESIGN THINKING FOR KIDS WITH JALEESA, 2:00- 5:00PM

Jaleesa will be hosting a design thinking session for children, featuring some of our favorite artists and designers. Drop your kids with our certified child carers while you peruse the other exhibits in KED-- they'll get the opportunity to draw, color, and creatively craft under the watchful eyes of professional artists. The session is donation based: proceeds go toward Jaleesa's subsidized child care program for underprivileged families in Burj Hammoud and Bouchriyeh. Visit jaleesa.co for more information. Location: KED, Karantina.

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OPEN TALKS AT KED, 5:00- 8:00 pm


SESSION I

DRAFT: DESIGN VALUE IN PUBLIC POLICIES, 5:00 - 6:00 PM

BY GRAPHICISM

In the absence of a Ministry of Planning & Design, and in light of policies made without considering the human citizen, how can we communicate the value of design in public policies & national economy? And with the absence of strong representatives of the local design community, how can we as designers (in academia, corporations, NGOs, syndicates, industries, & as individuals) define the value of our sector before communicating it with non-designers and other sectors? The talk will be followed by an open discussion, where designers are invited to share their ideas from different points of views.

Graphicism is an official club of graphic design & visual communication students and graduates at the Lebanese University. And this panel will be facilitated with Graphicists Fatima Farhat & Maria Dermosessian. Location: KED, Karantina, 5:00- 6:00pm.


SESSION II

GENDER FLUIDITY, 6:00 - 6:45 PM

Bashar Assaf x Marwan Kaabour, La Terre Est Folle, /perverse label/, Chantal Harb and The Creative Space come together for an informal talk about "Gender Fluidity in Fashion".
The exhibition "Gender Fluidity in Fashion" in the hall of Station runs until the closing day of Beirut Design Week 2017, on May 26. A collaboration with the Beirut Design Week.
Location: KED, Karantina, 6:00-6:45 PM


Session III

NEED FOR REGIONAL EXCHANGE, 6:30 - 8:00 pm

DESIGN WEEKS & COLLECTIVES OF BEIRUT, AMMAN, CAIRO, CASABLANCA, DUBAI & TEHRAN

A panel discussion bringing together all regional exhibitors to discuss the potential of collaboration between four countries in the Middle East. Join us on Sunday evening for an open platform for discussion that will lead to future plans that consolidate designers and their efforts within the MENA region. Speakers include Mohamad El Shahed (Cairo Now), Rana Beiruti (Amman Design Week), Soukeina Hachem (Houna Collective/ Casablanca Design Week),  Rawan Kashkoush (Dubai Design Week) and Shirin Motamed (Persia Collective). The session will be followed by drinks and music. Location: KED, Karantina, 6:30- 8:00pm.


SESSION IV: A CONVERSATION ABOUT CRAFT & DESIGN, 8:00 - 9:00 PM

A CONVERSATION BETWEEN GHASSAN SALAMEH & L'ARTISAN DU LIBAN ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MAYA EID

Design today is no longer the production of objects but has rather become an underlying system for exploration, experimentation and development as well as a force for social change. It is important that we step out of the globalized theories and concepts of how a design should be done and treat each case as a concrete study in relation to its context, environment and cultural relevance, through collaborative exchanges with artisans and craftswomen/men as well as a deep understanding of material. This discussion will examine the impact of socially motivated design, mainly through the work of L’Artisan du Liban since its creation in 1979 and the effects of such efforts on the lives of artisans and craftspeople, who are active shapers of the cultural identity the main source of inspiration for designers. Location: KED, Karantina, 8:00- 9:00pm.