The Crafts District
Amman Design Week’s Crafts District celebrates the work of seven designers who have collaborated closely with craftspeople to create installations dedicated to local techniques, skills, and materials used in traditional crafts. Following a period of learning and exchange with craftspeople and manufacturers, these designers have injected their experiences and disciplines into creating installations that celebrate crafts in a contemporary application.
“Majles” - Textiles
Nour Nsheiwat, who kicked off her career as an interior designer and filmmaker while studying architecture, is creating her re-interpretation of the traditional Majles. Her work studies the evolution of the traditional poufs and highlights the similarities found in technique and style between different ethnic groups.
“Pouring” - Blown Glass
Onur Lambaz, architect and art teacher, and the founder and initiator of Hangit Upcycled Wire Hangers, has teamed up with Mais Taha, an Architect Engineer interested in socio-economics, interactive architecture, and sustainable design.
Their installation, Pouring, revives and celebrates the nearly extinct craft of hand blown glass.
Mimicking the effect of rainfall, the powerful installation consists of a large number of droplets, which is a shape that highlights the fluidity and elasticity of hand blown glass.
“Kheit Halfa ala Hait Khalfa” - Banana Leaves & Halfa Grass
Sabrina Baggili, an Amman-based Architect at Intaj Architecture Company, and Bayan Dahdah, a Doha-based multidisciplinary artist, are collaborating with the Jordan River Foundation’s Wadi Al Rayan Project, which is an environmentally friendly endeavor that preserves local skills and provides opportunities for local women.
Their piece revives a play-on-words Arabic tongue twister, aptly named “Kheit Halfa ala Hait Khalfa”, in reference to halfa grass and banana tree leaves that they use in their installation.
“Deconstructing a Tree House” - Metalwork
Racha Tarazi, a cross-media experience designer, has selected to collaborate with a metalsmith in her installation “Deconstructing a Tree House”. Inspired by Japanese basket art, Racha developed the piece using computer-generated structures to manipulate local materials and handicraft.
“The Beauty of Imperfection” - Wood
Co-founded by two young architects, Tarek Hraish and Farah Kayyal, Apreçu Designs explore the possibilities of upcycling raw materials, namely leftover wood, in order to challenge the concept of ideal beauty. “The Beauty of Imperfection” is an installation comprised of ceiling-mounted pendants made of salvaged wood, and it provides a walkthrough for visitors to appreciate skillful craftsmanship by the creative designers.