3rd Amman Design Week embraces ‘possibilities’

AMMAN — The third edition of Amman Design Week, themed “Possibilities”, kicks off on October 4, and will feature several exhibitions across Amman.

With the support of Her Majesty Queen Rania, the week serves as a “curatorial platform dedicated to building connections between designers and innovators in Jordan and the world”, according to a statement made available to The Jordan Times.

While the public exhibitions are held from October 4 to October 12, the nine-day biannual event requires year-round learning programmes, direct mentorship and personalised guidance, which are carried out by aspiring designers and craftspeople in order “to develop new and original products and ideas”.

This year, the various exhibitions will be held in Ras Al Ain, Jabal Amman and Jabal Luweibdeh. Under the slogan “The future is makeable, so what are the possibilities?” the theme explores the question “What can design do for refugees, the environment, food, water, etc?” according to this edition’s booklet.

With 13 participating countries, the week expects over 100,000 attendees, with a total of 206 exhibitioners and 50 speakers, 19 music and art performances and 149 “unique” events scheduled to take place.

Some of the main showcases include the Hangar Exhibition, which presents diverse work by local and regional designers from across disciplines such as architecture, products, fashion, furniture and graphic design, as well as the Crafts District, a pop-up experience that offers craftspeople and "makers" from across the country a chance to share their ideas and stories.

Also exhibiting work to promote an “inclusive” Jordan is the Jordan Script Routes, which is an “exploratory and playful” series of installations that features the history of Jordan in relation to its neighbours, presented through the various writing systems and alphabets that have passed through or were invented in the Kingdom.

Paying tribute to the environment, Future Food/Future City is an open-air demonstration of an imagined future for the city’s public spaces, and a reexamined illustration of how various city spots can be turned into green spaces.