Beirut design fair returns after four years of economic crisis

A design fair in Beirut has returned after a four-year break due to Lebanon’s economic collapse, with some exhibits showcased in areas damaged by the devastating 2020 port explosion.

“We Design Beirut,” which concluded on Sunday, featured works from over 150 designers and artisans across several venues in the Lebanese capital over four days.

The fair’s goal was “to highlight the diversity of Lebanese design despite the country’s challenges,” according to Mariana Wehbe, who organized the event with industrial designer Samer Alameen.

Originally launched in 2010, the annual fair paused in 2019 when Lebanon’s economy plummeted, an economic crisis the World Bank described as one of the worst globally in recent history.

The event was set to return in October last year but was delayed again due to the Gaza war sparked by Hamas’ attack on southern Israel.

Since October 7, Lebanon’s Hezbollah has regularly exchanged fire across the southern border with Israel, claiming support for Gazans and ally Hamas.

“We aim to reestablish Beirut as a hub for design and creativity,” said curator William Wehbe, speaking from the luxurious Villa Audi, one of the fair’s venues.

Lebanese designers and creatives have been among those leaving the country for better opportunities, driven away by the lack of essential materials or after their workshops were destroyed in the 2020 port explosion, he added.

On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion of improperly stored ammonium nitrate at Beirut’s port killed over 220 people, injured at least 6,500, and devastated large parts of the capital.

Inside Villa Audi, a mirror installation was the centerpiece, while large mushroom-shaped lamps illuminated the gardens.

Lamp designer Zein Daouk said she turned to ceramics after her architecture firm’s office was destroyed in the blast.

One venue near the port, also damaged in the explosion, featured modern sculptures and handicrafts as part of the event.

Mariana Wehbe noted that many Lebanese artisans had “lost their jobs in recent years because many designers who worked with them have left,” and some handicrafts are now “at risk of extinction.”

Dima Stephan, 34, who designs rattan furniture, said an artisan taught her the traditional craft of making Lebanese chairs, traditionally a male-dominated skill, which she now modernizes.

The fair also showcased works and crafts made from recycled materials, highlighting Lebanon’s ongoing waste crisis.

In an abandoned textile factory in Beirut’s Armenian district, university students displayed a giant installation made of recycled plastic, shaped like a volcanic eruption.

“We wanted to support students so that they do not leave crisis-riddled Lebanon,” Wehbe said.