Four Jordanian designers have been invited to take part in VENICE DESIGN 2018 – the largest international design exhibition running alongside La Biennale di Venezia. Basel Naouri, Ziad Qweider, Mais Al Azab, and the Naqsh Collective sisters Nisreen and Nermeen Abudail, all of whom had previously showcased their work at past editions of Amman Design Week (ADW), will be taking part in the third edition of this world-renowned event. Around 50 designers from 30 different countries have been invited to showcase their work and take part in various exhibitions between 26 May and 25 November 2018 in the historical location of Palazzo Michiel in Venice, Italy.

As part of his involvement, Naouri will exhibit his piece titled ‘Tonal Texture’, an interactive audio-visual installation produced exclusively for the event. As a physical embodiment of sound waves through parametrical design, ‘Tonal Texture’ will allow visitors to interact with sound in a new way. In turn, Qweider will showcase his entire body of work that he displayed during ADW 2016, including two pieces of intricate embroidery inspired by traditional Palestinian embroidery titled ‘Face from Another World’ and ‘Light & Hope Through Apartheid Wall’. These works reflect their own cultural specificity, as each piece tells a story about the struggle of Palestinians.

Moreover, Al Azab will display her mirage installation, named ‘The Desert Skyline’ – an abstract and harmonious silhouette of a low-rise city, composed delicately with the horizon line of the desert as a contextual backdrop. The piece aims at challenging trending construction acts that bear no connection to their surroundings. On their part, the Abudail sisters will showcase two of their works, ‘Umm Qais’ and ‘Umm Assarab’, which comprise stone tables engraved with embroidery motifs on basalt and bottocino.

By participating in VENICE DESIGN 2018, these four designers join a growing list of designers from Jordan who are having their work exhibited abroad, such as former ADW participant, Rula Yaghmour, a Jordanian architect and designer who showcased her work ‘Kutleh’ last month at the 58th edition of Salone del Mobile Milano as part of Milan Design Week. Yaghmour had described ‘Kutleh’ as a ‘stone block’ assembled from layers of found stone, marble, and granite that is used as a new medium to form various objects.

We are happy to see that Jordan and its designers are being internationally recognized and invited to celebrate their cultural heritage and bring forth their take on various themes during design weeks, biennials, fairs, and tradeshows across the region and Europe. These participations not only grow the Jordanian creative economy and open up new markets for its young creatives, but also reaffirm our goal of encouraging collaboration and the exchange of ideas, innovations, and aspirations in a global context.

The next edition of ADW is expected to be in the Fall of 2019, and in 2018, ADW will be participating with local designers in design exhibitions abroad in countries such as Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., and Lebanon.