At Arab Design Now, flagship of Qatar’s Design Doha biennial, history and heritage are spurs for creativity

History and heritage inspire many of the pieces in Arab Design Now – works whose designers creatively ally modern thinking and traditional materials

The exhibition is the centrepiece of Qatar’s first design biennial but across Doha there is much more, including a street art initiative with Hong Kong roots

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Abeer Seikaly’s Constellations 2.0 pendant light is part of Arab Design Now, the marquee exhibition of the first Design Doha biennial in Qatar, on until August 2024, that brings together the work of 70 Arab designers. Photo: Edmund Summer

Charmaine Chan

Published: 4:15pm, 31 Mar 2024

One “trick” for prolonging the enjoyment of sprawling design festivals is to ask yourself: “What is the one thing you would take with you, given the opportunity and the space?”

Rana Beiruti laughs at the seemingly impossible question. But upon giving herself manageable parameters by clarifying “something that fits into my home, into my life”, the curator of “Arab Design Now” (ADN) nominates a series of works by architect Amina Agueznay.

Her undyed wool and palm husk Portals 1-4 installations welcome visitors to ADN, the flagship showcase of Qatar’s inaugural Design Doha biennial.

“It’s an innovative use of raw natural materials, not in a traditional sense,” says Beiruti of the series, with its brush-like geometric designs inspired by the doors of a Moroccan ksar (fortified village).

Portals, by Amina Agueznay, is a series of installations created with undyed wool and palm husk that is part of Arab Design Now, the marquee exhibition of the Design Doha biennial. Photo: Design Doha

Another element of Portals, by Amina Agueznay. Photo: Design Doha

“It has texture, it’s close to the earth. It combines craft and textile as well as references to rural architecture in Morocco with its patterns.”