From vintage prints to a book exploring Beirut’s traditional homes and a table crafted from a 200-year-old tree, the Beirut Concept Store at Dubai Design Week is showcasing the breadth of Lebanon’s creative offering.
Curated by Mariana Wehbe and conceptualised by artist Rumi Dalle, the initiative aims to shine a spotlight on Lebanon’s design scene, providing visibility as well as commercial opportunities for the multifaceted creatives being featured, at a time when they need it most.
“I am sincerely grateful for the support of Dubai Design Week and the Dubai Design District for providing us with this platform, which offers visitors an experiential journey into the heart of Beirut’s design scene, while promoting the work of emerging and established designers and studios from Lebanon, shedding light on the country’s talent, capabilities and possibilities,” says Wehbe.
Making its debut in the concept store is Exil Collective, a newly launched incubator that is presenting more than 20 established and emerging product designers. Exil has created a framework whereby cost-conscious objects made in Lebanon are industry-competitive, by adapting designs to local manufacturing skills.
Works by master ceramists such as Hala Matta, Nathalie Khayyat, Souraya Haddad and Lina Shamma sit alongside gift items and memorabilia from Beirut Je T’aime, Spockdesign and Cut Paste Build, ensuring there is something for everyone in this intriguing space.
At its centre is a four-metre-long table by architect Samer Bou Rjeily, called Untitled. The piece is crafted from a long metal plank and the trunk of a pine tree that is more than 200 years old, which Bou Rjeily came across in Lebanon after it had been toppled by an unusually powerful storm. “It was about giving another life to something that was already dead,” the designer says.
The trunk was treated with the 18th-century Japanese technique of shou sugi ban, which involves preserving wood using fire. And so it became a reflection on one of nature’s most volatile elements: while fire has destroyed numerous forests in Lebanon in recent years, here it is harnessed to protect and weatherproof the wood and ensure its longevity.
Concrete is the chosen medium for siblings Marylynn and Carlo Massoud, who have been experimenting with the material to create oversized but lightweight indoor and outdoor furniture in various hues. The pieces are made in Lebanon by local artisans and reflect the duo’s innovative, fun-loving take on common objects.
Lebanon’s capital looms large in the work of the selected designers, whether appearing on the pages of The House of Beirut, a book first published in 1997 by Nayla Audi and then reimagined by her daughters in the wake of the explosion that rocked through the city last year; or in the charming prints of Cut Paste Build, which pay tribute to the contradictions inherent in a city that is both beautiful and difficult.
Under the moniker OhMyHappiness, writer Raja Farah documents this dichotomy in 291 Days, a collection of works that chronicle events in Lebanon between the October 17, 2019 revolution and the August 4, 2020 Beirut blast, and the aftermath.
Using micro-stories, short anecdotes and rallying calls, the writer has documented everyday life in Lebanon during an exceptional period “filled with hope and despair, with the backdrop of a global pandemic”, with the aim of challenging the traditional narrative of stories told about the country.
The book is available in the UAE for the first time exclusively at Dubai Design Week, which is running from Monday to Saturday.
Karim Chaya, founder of Spockdesign, pays homage to a very specific section of the city. He creates architectural scale models of one of his favourite structures, the grain silos at Beirut harbour, which he credits with protecting part of the city when they withstood the August 4 blast.
But the sentiments of the participating designers are perhaps best summed up by the simple messages on the tote bags created by Rouba Mourtada, which read: “Beirut Je T’aime” and “I left my heart in Beirut”.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1
Alonso (62')
Huddersfield Town 1
Depoitre (50')
THE DETAILS
Deadpool 2
Dir: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Justin Dennison, Zazie Beetz
Four stars
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
TRAINING FOR TOKYO
A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
- Four swim sessions (14km)
- Three bike sessions (200km)
- Four run sessions (45km)
- Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
- One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
- Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
MATCH INFO
Delhi Daredevils 174-4 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians 163 (19.3 ovs)
Delhi won the match by 11 runs
The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.4-litre%2C%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E617hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E750Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh630%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
'Project Power'
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback
Director: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Rating: 3.5/5
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Liverpool 4-1 Shrewsbury
Liverpool
Gordon (34'), Fabinho (44' pen, 90' 3), Firmino (78')
Shrewsbury
Udoh (27'minutes)
Man of the Match: Kaide Gordon (Liverpool)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
