The Design Prize is intended to promote the project of a young designer and a design company from the Arab League or whose production is developed in one of the countries of the Arab League, created between September 1, 2021 and August 31, 2023. A Grand Prize highlights the work of a creator on the proposal of the jury and the governance, and also distinguishes an exceptional career and/or project.
Chaired by Jack Lang since 2013, the Arab World Institute's mission is to showcase the richness and diversity of Arab culture. Heritage, visual arts, lifestyle, literature, languages, and the humanities are all areas that the IMA explores and makes accessible to as many people as possible. It was therefore only natural that he wanted to create the first "Design Award" in France dedicated to design creation in the Arab world.
Ambition of the Prize
The Arab World Institute Design Award aims to showcase established and emerging designers from the Arab world to demonstrate their craftsmanship, productive engineering, and creation using new materials. They offer a contemporary interpretation of the extraordinary. lifestyle in the Arab world through the prism of design.
Two axes (tradition and transmission, identities and futures) are central to understanding contemporary Arab worlds, and they reveal values inherent in creation… tradition and its transmission as a source of inspiration and imagination of possible futures.
The Arab World Institute Design Prize highlights the region's rich design scene to French, European and international audiences.
The events surrounding the prize (meetings between professionals) will be an opportunity for Arab, French and international professionals to meet, exchange and share their projects during the Paris Design Week : the promise of identity and the impact of brands.
Presentation of the Awards
The Arab World Institute recognizes designers from the Arab world by awarding prizes in three categories: the " Emerging Talent Award » rewards design work carried out by a designer or architect under 34 years old, a student at a design or architecture school, possibly in collaboration with partners, craftsmen or companies; the “ Entrepreneurial Talent Award » recognizes a design studio, an architectural firm, a company or a company in the design sector duly registered in its country with the possibility of collaborating with partners, artisans or companies. For these two first prizes, a team application is possible; based on the jury's proposal and the governance of the Arab World Institute, a " Grand Prix » will distinguish an exceptional personality and/or project whose values are fundamental for the transmission of know-how, social and environmental commitment, inclusivity and the sharing of well-being in accordance with the fundamental principles of the IMA Design Prize.
The awards ceremony will be held on September 6 (from 19 p.m.) by invitation only.
The category " Emerging Talent » selected
Abdalla Almulla from the United Arab Emirates for its project Afternoon at the Sook from November 2022. His project is located in the scenography of the "Petit h" (Hermès) in a mall in Dubai. Inspired by the world of souks, his creation draws on the local environment and his exceptional know-how, in line with the values of the brand.
Annabel Ezedine from Lebanon for his project Evolvo created in January 2023. The Evolvo light, which she designed in collaboration with several partners, explores the unique properties of regenerated leather – the finesse, softness, and suppleness of the tanned material – and restores the noble qualities of a material whose imperfections she seeks to enhance.
Karim + Elias from the United Arab Emirates for their project Iota Entrance Installation created in November 2022. In 2022, they designed a sculptural installation for the entrance of the Downtown Design Dubai using their favorite materials. Their proposal absolutely defends the ecological method of compressed earth, only questioning the geometric qualities.
Anas Koubaiti from Morocco for his project The bioclimatic Ribat completed in May 2023. The Bioclimatic Ribat is his first architectural achievement which bears his own name, built from a very personal imagination, nourished by the childhood memories of his grandparents in the riad of old Fez, where shadows and lights, silence and sounds of the city, plays of textures and materials, alternated.
Ahmed Muzaffar from Syria for his project Starry Night Lamp Created between 2022 and 2023, his lamp project represents his very special connection with the stars. He spent long hours on the rooftops of his house in a neighborhood of old Damascus, fascinated by their movement and brilliance. The lampshades were designed to give everyone the opportunity to preserve memories of their birthplace and project their own stars into the sky, despite the impossibility of returning there…
Selsebyl K'hila from Tunisia for his project Marvel Founded in 2023, its project, inspired by the Marvel superhero universe, offers specialized medical products to meet the needs of children with cerebral palsy. The accessories were designed in close collaboration with the medical community, with the challenge of taking into account the psychological and emotional aspects of young patients.
Maria Yared from Lebanon for his project Shataranj Created in April 2023. Conceived in the atmosphere of the pandemic and the explosion at the port of Beirut, Maria Yared chose to develop the production of her chess set project in Lebanon in collaboration with exceptional artisans. The original silhouettes of her painted wooden chess pieces make it a sculptural work of art, while retaining the attributes of the original game.
The category " Entrepreneurial Talent » selected
Altin Studio from Tunisia for their project Orbit created in January 2023. Yasmine and Mehdi express their creativity with the 8 pieces that make up the collection OrbitInspired by ancestral Tunisian craftsmanship, they seek to reinvent traditional craftsmanship using ancestral techniques and essential materials, sketching the silhouettes of dreamed extraterrestrials coming from elsewhere.
Babnimnim Design Studio from the United Arab Emirates for their project The mineral collection created in 2022. Combining art and know-how, The Mineral Collection is the culmination of a four-year collaboration with Samovar Carpets. The collection faithfully reproduces the intricate textures and color gradients found in minerals through expert weaving and tufting techniques, highlighting the extraordinary synergy between the wonders of nature and human creativity.
Beit Collective from Lebanon for Various collections Created between 2019 and 2020, Beit Collective promotes sustainable ethical and cultural exchange, celebrating and preserving Lebanese craftsmanship and identity. Its primary objective is to support local artisans by revitalizing traditional techniques and incorporating them into contemporary design practices. By merging centuries-old craftsmanship with modern aesthetics, Beit Collective actively contributes to preserving Lebanon's cultural heritage and presenting its history to a global audience.
Don Tanani from Egypt for their projects The Rebirth of Egyptian Design Created in June 2023, Don Tanani's ambition is to represent the excellence of Egyptian design at the highest international level, developing collections inspired by the history of Egyptian art. To deepen Egyptian identity and immerse itself in aspects of the age-old culture, the brand intends to develop a vibrant and contemporary approach, exploring a new range of materials to create pieces, some of which are true works of art.
Collective Exile from Lebanon for their first collection Founded in 2021, Exil Collective has established standards for itself, aiming to master all gestures, production and distribution processes, the weight and dimensions of each object, while creating a link between the various players in Lebanese design. Through its various projects, the collective explores the recontextualization of production, creating an economic model that benefits Lebanese creators and artisans.
Fabraca Studio from Lebanon for their lamp project. Samer Saadeh has assembled a team of 12 craftsmen, mechanical engineers, and architects who have worked on lighting projects in Lebanon and abroad, including at the Arab World Institute and Qasr al Hosn in Abu Dhabi. All products combine the use of craftsmanship and technology. Fabraca Studios' latest project, " Belt Track » (2022), is a series of manually adjustable and detachable lighting frames developed for the future Qasr Al Hosn cooking school in Erth.
LRNCE from Morocco for their project Rosemary created in 2021. In 2021, LRNCE carried out a complete renovation of the riad "Le Rosemary" in Marrakech. The sharing of skills and know-how, supported by local artisans (carpenters, marble workers, stained glass artists, plasterers, painters, etc.), allowed a fusion of tradition and modernity thanks to the combination of multiple techniques and materials. The riad, which opens its doors in September, is also an opportunity to link the work of LRNCE and other artists to pieces vintage.
Marlo & Isaure from Tunisia for the brand of their Supersouk Founded in 2022, Marlo and Isaure have developed a contemporary Mediterranean design. Their small and medium-sized collections are the result of encounters between emerging and established international designers and a selection of the best Tunisian artisans. They borrow materials from Tunisia (reclaimed blown glass or hand-glazed ceramics) and a resolutely contemporary design from the designers. At the same time, they founded the SUPERSOUK concept store in the suburbs of Tunis to promote the contemporary Tunisian scene. In 2022, the first boutique of the Marlo&Isaure brand opened its doors.
The Arab World Institute can be found on www.imarabe.org/fr
André Tirlet
