Resilience Shines Despite Geopolitical Turmoil

MILAN — Industrial designer Samer Al Ameen remembers being hit by a sniper during Lebanon’s 15-year civil war that started in 1975. Gunmen were positioned in the vantage point of Beirut’s Burj El Murr, once the city’s tallest tower and symbol of economic prowess.

While the landmark had been abandoned, it will come alive again on Wednesday in the spirit of resilience for We Design Beirut, the second edition of the city’s five-day design event. “I have a very strong relationship with this building. We pass by it like nothing happened. We have to give it back some meaning, that’s why we decided to do the Design in Conflict exhibition,” said Al Ameen, who is also the creative director of We Design Beirut and based in Milan. Despite all odds, its organizers are poised for more international exposure, attendees and exhibitors.

The premier design event began in 2024 amid the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. From the start, its founder, PR Agency owner Mariana Wehbe, has sought to highlight the strength of the Lebanese design scene that echoes on a global level and from Milan to New York City.

“This recent war made us reflect: We’ve never really healed, never mourned, never forgave.…It wasn’t just emotional or national scale, it was also true for the urban and architectural landscape,” Wehbe said, adding that each building carries stories, memories and scars from war and torture.

Another event location — Villa Audi — is also a testament to resilience. Now a mosaic museum, it was built in 1910 and was first a private residence and later served as the headquarters for Bank Audi, surviving through Lebanon’s civil war. Inside, an exhibit titled “Totems of the Present and the Absent” curated by Gregory Gatserelia will unfold, paying tribute to his SMO Gallery, which is credited with identifying, fostering and nurturing some of Lebanon’s greatest design talents.

Beirut’s Roman Baths, which date back to the first century AD, will house a marble design exhibition titled “Of Water and Stone,” curated by Nour Osseiran and produced and sponsored by Stones by Rania Malli, one of the region’s largest and most respected marble manufacturers.

Among the 23 pieces of marble creations is a piece by Studio Nada Debs, which was founded by regional design pioneer Nada Debs.

In the Sanayeh district of Beirut, rising star, Italian lighting artist and designer Christian Pellizzari will also be on display with his Murano-made glass art within the Immeuble de l’Union, a modernist building reflecting Beirut’s architectural evolution and urban transformation during its contemporary heyday. Designed in the 1950s, it is being renovated by Karim Nader, an architecture studio. As part of the event, it will host two exhibitions: “Union — A Journey of Light” by both Nader and architectural lighting design studio Atelier33.

Pellizzari said when he was contacted by We Design Beirut, he was compelled by the notion that something beautiful could emerge and grow from destruction.

Pellizzari will showcase the second act of an itinerant glass art project he presented on a snowy hilltop in the Swiss Alps. The gigantic “Frosted Mirror Syriacus” is a serpent-like flora/fauna element aglow in the freshly fallen snow outside the Hotel Waldhaus during the February edition of design fair Nomad in Saint Moritz. “Last year, we had the snow around Lake Saint Moritz and this year it’s destruction and debris in Beirut.”

The event has captured the interest of some of design’s biggest pillars. ⁠One of them is Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte, Nomad’s cofounder. Bellavance-Lecompte is a design curator and architect who also founded the Carwan Gallery in Beirut in 2011, and stands as a significant figure in the global art and design scene, forging cross-cultural dialogue within the design community. He sees events like We Design Beirut as a great source of inspiration for his work.

“The country continues to face major economic and structural challenges, yet the resilience of its creative community is remarkable. Initiatives like We Design Beirut are a strong sign of renewal — a hopeful indication that the city’s creative pulse endures. I truly hope to see Beirut regain the cultural energy it had when I first discovered its extraordinary spirit back in 2010. The scene deserves stability, visibility, and the chance to flourish again,” he told WWD.

The event is also a testament to Lebanon’s international appeal among the design-curious set and travelers across the board. According to a report by the World Bank released in June, Lebanon’s economy is projected to grow by 4.7 percent by year’s end, supported in part by a recovery in tourism. The economic outlook hinges on the nation’s potential to stabilize amid political uncertainty and the unresolved financial crisis, which continues to impede large financial inflows and private investments.

Nancy Gabriel, founder of Galerie Gabriel, a collectible-design gallery established in Beirut in 2013 and which is now based in New York, underscored that Beirut, despite war and conflicts throughout history, has endured as a global meeting point, a city where cultures, ideas and aesthetics from East and West come together.

“That goes back centuries. Because of its port and its position on the Mediterranean, Beirut was never isolated. It was always open to the world. Traders, artists and thinkers from Europe and the Middle East passed through here, and that constant exchange shaped a culture that’s curious, adaptable and deeply cosmopolitan. In the 1950s and ’60s, Lebanon became a true hub for design and architecture in the region,” she recalled, adding that the city was home to incredible figures like Lebanese architect Joseph Philippe Karam and attracted design luminaries like French decorator Jean Royère.

This mix created a modern language that combined international vision with local craftsmanship, she added. The blend of fresh innovation, antiquity with layers of artisan craft became a part of Beirut’s cultural fabric and propelled it as a cultural hub in the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, much like the cities of Baghdad, Iraq; Damascus, Syria, and Tehran, Iran. “When you look at We Are Beirut, it’s really part of that longer story, one that celebrates the city’s openness, its resilience and its unique place as the cultural heartbeat of the region.”