Beirut Design Fair will be marked by events, conferences, roundtable discussions and design courses. The fair’s program will be available on its website at the beginning of September, but we can already mention some highlights: a stop at FabLab, a one-of-a-kind workshop that unites a host of trades and makes them available to Lebanese designers, or a behind-the-scenes visit to Basta, Beirut’s flea market.
Selections Magazine – Joy Mardini, who has a design gallery in Gemmayzeh, a hip neighbourhood in Beirut, identifies some of the common obstacles: “Lebanon has been known for years for its crafts, but applying these to detailed design pieces has been challenging in terms of production pricing. Another difficulty they face is making a name for themselves as the number of designers on the market is increasing.” Beirut’s Académie Libanaise Des Beaux-Arts (ALBA) recently introduced a product-design course; before that, many Lebanese designers studied abroad.