The Contradictions Of Lebanon. Interviewing We Design Beirut

by Alexandra Mansilla

The Contradictions Of Lebanon. Interview With Mariana Wehbe And Samer Alameen

22 May 2024

Four days of total immersion into Lebanese creativity, which is strong and phenomenal. An experience that reveals Lebanon's true essence — its talented, deep, and diverse people. This is We Design Beirut — not just a traditional design week. It is not an exhibition or an event. It is much more.

We had the great opportunity to speak with the visionaries behind We Design Beirut: Mariana Wehbe and Samer Alameen. We also want to thank the entire We Design Beirut team for the incredible work they create.

Save the date and don't miss it: The inaugural event will be held in Beirut, Lebanon, from May 23-26, 2024.

— First, I would like to express my gratitude to you for taking the time to speak with us. I am fascinated by how you do We Design Beirut and your approach. Everything in the project is filled with your soul and energy. So, how did the idea of We Design Beirut come about?

Mariana: It started with two young women, emerging design architects and interior designers from Sakkal Design, who came into my office and said, "We need a design week in Beirut." Living between Abu Dhabi and Beirut, I was thinking, "Okay, we've been through a lot. Lebanon is like this man you are madly in love with who keeps hurting you. You keep coming back to him." And it happened.

Then we started thinking about the name. We thought: “Why don’t we call it 'We'? We, the people, we keep coming back, we stay." It has always been about the people of Lebanon. It was never our government, it was the people, the NGOs, the students, the youth. We Design Beirut.

Also, I needed a partner. Although I am very creative, I am also a very structured person with a serious logistics background. I wanted someone to bounce off creatively. I thought of Samer. We have known each other for a very long time. I called him, and he said, "I’m definitely in." So, we started the work.

A month later, I thought, "No, this is too big. Living between two countries, what am I getting myself into? Let's halt the project." But Samer was against it, and we went on.

Samer: When I heard about We Design Beirut from Mariana, the name itself felt like a call to action. It is not just a design week. We have a role in reshaping and redesigning our city, and that is a massive responsibility. That is when we created the three pillars.

We know our artisans are suffering. Many designers have left, and if we lose the artisans, we lose a major chunk of our culture and economy. We really wanted to empower our artisans. We provided the materials they needed, helped with the design process, and provided the location, transportation, and accommodation. All sales go to them, 100%. We have to expose these people.

Then there are topics like sustainability. We worked with innovators who researched every recycled material in the country from north to south: recycled plastic, rubber, glass, wood, clay, banana fibres — you name it. We are exhibiting these materials next to the main exhibition. This is the second pillar.

The third pillar is about preserving our culture, heritage, designers, and design scene. So, we created three hubs in three totally different locations. We have a Villa, a Factory, and the damaged premises of one of the major lighting companies in the world, PSLab.

We Design Beirut is much more than a design week. We call it a four-day design experience. It is meant to create networks and secure people, encouraging them not to leave the country. We are working with students knowing it is going to be experimental, knowing the products are a process, and appreciating it. But this opens conversations with architects and designers, fostering collaborations and creating a chain.

Mariana: Considering that we had really limited funding when we had to postpone, we lost 70% of what we raised, which was almost nothing, a negligible amount — to pay salaries, teams, and whatever else. But no matter what, everyone wanted to be a part of it.

We truly want to stay true to what this project is about. We will probably make some mistakes, but I think, without planning and strategising, we have actually created something a little different than what has been happening. We really wanted to address what Lebanon needs. We have such a solid creative history and community, and we need to show it.

Photo: Tarek Moukaddem

— One of the locations is the port. How was it for you? Why did you decide to choose this location that exploded? As I understand, Mariana, you were there when the explosion happened, right? So, why?

Mariana: It is important to show that this is part of our story. We live with this every day; we drive past the port every day. We are not trying to hide anything.

Every single person who lived near the port had their homes completely destroyed, but they are back. Most of them are on that street again. It is the proximity to the port, just a hundred meters away, that tells a story that needs to be told.

I also wanted people to see the amount of damage that took place here because we actually rebuilt everything. Now, it is impossible to see what happened on August 4th because the whole community rebuilt the city.

Samer: And I would like to add one thing to the conversation. PSLab is a massively talented lighting company that was destroyed in the explosion. They moved their offices and branched out into the world. No matter what happens, we rise up. It happens organically, impulsively. We want to show so much passion, drive, and intensity to the world. We want to showcase our real Beirut. That is why you have Villa, Factory, and a destroyed business. There are three different stories because we have it all.

PSLab wall. Photo: Karim Sakr

— I saw a text in the port “No standard. Everything we do is personalised.” Who is behind this phrase?

Samer: That was the slogan of the lighting company PSLab, and we didn’t touch it. We kept the integrity of PSLab. Even the cleaning is minimal. It is part of the experience.

To be very honest with you, you might be scared of that place, but for me, it is the most positive location. There is so much positivity and energy in this place. It is crazy. You don't feel that destruction.

Mariana: The place was completely destroyed, but if you come, you will see about 12 olive trees in full bloom there. You walk into a building that is destroyed, and then you see this massive amount of life with these olive trees. The contradiction of that is the contradiction of Lebanon.

Lebanon is a country of contradictions. In every space, you can find multi-million dollar homes and refugee camps six minutes away.

I wanted people to discover locations that have pain, history, status, glamour, and elegance. This is all very important. That is part of discovering this country.

Abroyan Factory. Photo: Courtesy of Union Marks

— Let’s think about the motto of We Design Beirut. What could it be?

Samer: I would love this to be “a catalyst for change.”

Mariana: I think our motto could be “We're keeping it real.”

— Why does the experience last only four days?

Mariana: I think we didn't follow the usual format of how design weeks happen. We thought it was long enough to get people excited to come, knowing that it is only four days, so there is no procrastination. If you don't come, you will miss it. But also, we didn't have much funding — we really had minimal funding. Of course, this will develop and evolve. We will learn and adapt as we move forward

Samer: To be honest, I have been doing Salone Del Mobile and Design Miami and this for like 15 years. The interesting days are the early days, and then by the third, fourth, fifth days, it becomes too commercial. So, we decided to condense it. Plus, on another note: due to budgets, in every location we are working on, we are providing the electricity, the water, the security, the insurance, the staff, and the volunteers. Cost-wise, it becomes really difficult.

We Design Beirut is not a weekend, not a design week, not a design festival. It is a design experience. This is not a normal fair. This is a design experience that solves problems, creates platforms, and starts conversations. It is not about having massive spaces with designers exhibiting their pieces. It is much more related to the city, and it is a hundred per cent Lebanese. It is a hundred per cent Lebanese designers, and it is a hundred per cent made in Lebanon.

Mariana Wehbe. Photo: Sebastian Böttcher

— Honestly, I can’t imagine how it is possible to gather so many architects and designers in one project.

Mariana: That is Lebanon, though. And I am not trying to say it just as a Lebanese person, honestly. I really say this humbly. But look at the Middle East. The Lebanese design community is extensive and well-respected, whether during the civil war in the 80s or more recently, the Lebanese in the diaspora have proven themselves. This is an old city, and it is also because we are an old city. That comes from the history that we have.

Samer: You know, the most beautiful thing about the whole project was really the "we." With all the stress, all the craziness, all the problems, we as a team — that is magic.

Mariana: And the designers played a big role. Let's not forget that. I mean, we have designers who created pieces and did not showcase them for almost two years, waiting for We Design Beirut. And you know, we have the curators of the exhibition, "Past Echoes", Joy Mardini and William Wehbe of Babylon — The Agency. They have been absolutely phenomenal. They curated 33 of the best regional and emerging designers. They worked their butts off, also for free. They are curators, so everyone who decided to be part of We Design took on the responsibility with dedication and maturity.

Samer Al Ameen. Photo: Roger Moukarzel

— How would you describe the design community in Lebanon? Like, in a few words?

Mariana: I think it is embodied in us. You know, the colours Lebanon holds just by walking down the street — the colour of the sky, the colour of the trees, the architecture. We live with this; we grow up with this — the pain, the graffiti, the art that is in our old family homes. The artisanship that we are all going back to now, realising its importance. It is part of who we are.

Samer: Living in Milan, I am often asked how a city as small as Beirut, with all its conflict and chaos, can be home to so much creativity. Lebanon is filled with contradictions; it is a plethora of history, cultures, conflict, enjoyment, chaos, and beauty. The design scene flourishes in that environment, reflecting this unique intensity.

— Among the creative people participating in We Design Beirut, are there any names that evoke strong feelings for you? I mean, I recently had a similar experience — admiring artworks and couldn't stop. It was with Tarek Elkassouf’s works.

Mariana: By the way, I bought the “Transformative Energy” for Jubail Island. This is the biggest piece of art by a Lebanese artist in the UAE. I remember how it was. I work with Jubail as a developer, and we were thinking of buying art. I walked into a gallery, and I just sent a video to the owner and said, "This is the piece we need to have in Jubail."

The idea of transformation, using limestone and volcanic rock, the architectural way he did it, but also the transformation of a human, a person, a country. You know, you are still that same pillar, but you change. And I just thought it was so touching and beautiful. He is very poetic. So, we bought it.

— Wow! Everything is connected! So, returning to my question: can you name some artists that evoke strong feelings in you?

Mariana: I do have a couple of designers in mind. I have an established designer who was into craftsmanship long before it became cool. She was way ahead of her time. Her name is Karen Chekerdjian. Also, I have a young designer, Shaha Raphael, who is really blowing my mind. And both of them have a sensibility and sensitivity that is truly moving.

Samer: It is so true. It is so funny because we have never discussed this, and those are the exact two names I would have said.

Mariana: And also, Karim Chaya. The craft he created on an industrial level is amazing. This is a company that started in Lebanon and now works on some of the biggest stories in the world, including industrial designs and the best stairs you have ever seen in your life, very humbly.

Samer: To be fair, there is a big list because several designers have tapped into different aspects of design — different traditions, crafts, projections, and more. Also, to be fair, there are two players with us on this adventure — Joy and Will, whom Mariana has mentioned. They have been incredibly supportive, dedicated, and hardworking, and I think they have done a fabulous job.

Villa Audi. Photo: Courtesy of We Design Beirut

Mariana: As you know, we had to postpone, and we were unable to stay at the originally planned location. It was disastrous. If I were them, I would be overwhelmed. They had to relocate to a new space, which is now Villa Audi, a mosaic museum. There are places in it we cannot touch, so we had to go through lawyers and contracts, and they had to go back and redo everything in a smaller space. I swear to God, they had to redo the whole thing. So, they deserve the recognition. Everybody involved in this deserves exposure, every single person. Samer: I think everyone involved has put their life, soul, passion, expertise, and know-how into this project. It is filled with love and support. I swear to God, I get goosebumps half the time. The actions of people, the way they want to help — it is incredible. We are getting calls asking, "What can I do? Can I help with this? Can I help with that? Do you need anything?" It is a big community movement, and it is beautiful.

by Alexandra Mansilla

The Contradictions Of Lebanon. Interview With Mariana Wehbe And Samer Alameen

22 May 2024

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