12 Beirut Design Week Highlights

Concerned that design is increasingly focused on beautiful objects made out of expensive materials, Beirut Design Week’s founders took a critical look at the topic in the sixth edition of the event. Several of the main exhibitions answered the question “Is Design a Need?” and explored the industry from a non-commercial and provocative point of view. The nerve center of the event was KED, a striking three-story concrete structure in the north of the city that was squatted by the army during the civil war. It still has a raw, handmade quality that symbolizes Beirut’s resilience and spirit. This is where the bulk of the more experimental and emerging designers showed their work, along with designers from the wider MENA (Middle East North Africa) area. Galleries and design studios all over town got in on the act too. What follows is a slideshow of the standout pieces, installations, and products spied in Beirut.