Queen meets with Amman Design Week 2017 team

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Sunday met with the Amman Design Week 2017 (ADW) team for a briefing on the project’s progress and an update on its newest programmes. 

With the support of the Queen, Amman Design Week 2017, whose main exhibition will be held at the Ras Al Ain Hanger Gallery, will comprise the second edition of the annual programme, according to a statement from Her Majesty’s office.

The project, first inaugurated in September last year, aims to showcase the designs and talents of local, regional and international designers, and establish Amman as the regional hub for innovation, expression and experimentation. 

This year’s event will offer a nine-day comprehensive programme, running from October 6 until October 14, with a focus on the theme of “Design Moves – Life – Moves Design”. 

The theme intends to highlight the creative power generated by the mass mobilisation, collaboration and communication of knowledge and skills. 

Amman Design Week’s Co-Directors, Rana Beiruti and Abeer Seikaly, also attended the meeting and briefed Her Majesty about the event’s latest additions. 

 New programmes targeting students and young people will include the Mentorship Programme, the Talent Database for students and the Student Exhibition. 

These were created to encourage organisations to invest in the talents of young design students and to connect young designers with local school and university networks.

The Tours and Mobile Platform, also part of the latest expansion efforts, consists of outbound city bus and walking tours that offer participants the opportunity to engage with design around Jordan.  

Another new year-round project to be featured this year, is the International Participation programme, aimed at designers wishing to showcase their work abroad.

This year, the Amman Design Week team received a total of 400 applications for designers, programmes and student exhibition open calls, a steep rise from last year’s 180 submissions.