Amman Design Week holds official opening event for third edition

AMMAN — Deputising for Her Majesty Queen Rania, Amman Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh launched the third edition of Amman Design Week (ADW) on Wednesday at Ras Al Ain Hangar in downtown Amman.

The private launch event, which comes two days before ADW officially opens its doors to the public, was attended by a number of local and regional designers, ADW supporters and design enthusiasts, according to a statement from Her Majesty’s office.                

Under the theme of “Possibilities”, ADW’s third edition will run from October 4 to 12 across the three districts of Ras Al Ain, Jabal Amman and Jabal Al Weibdeh. The event will feature more than 100 events in 55 participating spaces, and showcase the works of more than 250 creators, designers, artisans and students from 13 countries.

Shawarbeh, accompanied by ADW Director Rana Beiruti, toured the Ras Al Ain Hangar exhibition, curated by Head of Architectural Affairs at the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities Nora Al Sayeh-Holtrop. The exhibition features the work of over 75 local and regional designers in fields including architecture, fashion design, product design, furniture design and graphic design. 

The Ras Al Ain district will also host the student exhibition, consisting of works completed by 33 students from 14 local schools and universities during a six-month mentorship program, as well as the Future Food/Future City exhibition, which will explore the conversion of public spaces into safe hubs for food production. 

Introduced for the first time this year, the Future Food/Future City exhibition will offer food, cultural events, family activities, workshops and musical performances in the plaza outside Al Hussein Cultural Center. 

The Jabal Amman district will host a number of exhibitions, including the pop-up Crafts District, curated and designed by nonprofit private study and research institution, Arini. Located at Al Kabariti Village — a number of privately-owned historic residential buildings and gardens — the Crafts District will boast exhibits on material innovation, handwritten scripts and textiles, as well as daily music programs. 

ADW has also launched a series of walking tours and trails in Jabal Amman and Jabal Luweibdeh, where participating galleries, schools and concept stores in will hold a series of exhibitions and workshops. 

Throughout the nine-day event, ADW will host a number of public workshops addressing design-related issues with social and economic significance. These workshops include "The Materials of the Levant" at the Crafts District, which will focus on the transformation of raw materials as they are crafted into finished products, "Introduction to Arabic Calligraphy", and the family-friendly "Painting Ceramic Jars" workshops. 

Additionally, a number of talks and discussions will be held at Al Hussein Cultural Center with a focus on design’s impact on all aspects of life. Other activities open to public participation include the specialised “Bauhaus Design Battlefield”, a two-day design hackathon that will challenge participants to rethink typography in designing signs. 

ADW is being held in partnership with the Greater Amman Municipality, sponsored by Zain Jordan, Investbank, Aramex, the Jordan Tourism Board, Uber, JOTUN Arabia and Art Media.