architecture

Rediscovering passion is rediscovering the self. Khaled Hourani’s A Retrospective exhibition nestled in the beautiful villa and garden that is Darat al Funun helped me rediscover that mind-captivating exhilaration and wonder at the beauty that surrounds us — the mind that thinks the art, the artist courageous enough to make the art, the Creator’s art: the bee pulled by the magnet of rosemary bushes and lavender, the sun as it warms the cold stone of the Roman columns standing tall in the backyard.

In this space of art and beauty one finds acceptance, universality; we are all one and the same, stripped of all the backgrounds that tell of differences.

That is the essence of Khaled Hourani’s newest work, The Blue Figure. By removing the refugee, resembled in the UNHCR logo as a blue figure, from its context, Hourani challenges our conception of a refugee. Seen in different settings: on a balcony, in the lap of a parent and in a tent, the figure’a individuality and humanness is returned. Each becomes one, all a part of the whole.

Photo credit: Dima Masri

Watch a report and interview on Al Ghad about the exhibition.

Jordanian designer and architect, Abeer Seikaly, has come up with a solution for the hundreds of thousands of displaced people around the world. In her project, “Weaving a Home”, winner of the Lexus Design Award, she has created structural fabric collapsible shelters.

The shelter absorbs solar energy that is converted into usable energy and the inside includes pockets that can be used for storage. In addition, the top can be used as a water storage tank, allowing for quick showers and a drainage system prevents flooding.

The structures are ideal for any climate and time of day as they open up in the summer and day time to let sunlight in and close during the winter. They are also lightweight and mobile, two very important features of a home for the thousands of people fleeing wars and natural disasters in their home countries, forced to make tents their new homes.

On her website, Abeer Seikaly says, “In this space, the refugees find a place to pause from their turbulent worlds, a place to weave the tapestry of their new lives. They weave their shelter into home.”

For more information: Visit Abeer Seikaly’s website.

This article was originally published on BarakaBits on 08/10/2015.

Dima Masri

A Writing and Translation Portfolio

Self-Rediscovery via Khaled Hourani’s Exhibition at Darat al Funun

Abeer Seikaly’s “Weaving a Home”: Bringing the Comfort of Modern Life to the Displaced