Event:

Designing the Middle East: Beirut

An exhibition of work by Lebanese Designer, Karen Chekerdjian

31 May 2013
19 Jul 2013

19 Greek Street presents Designing the Middle East Beirut, an exhibition of work by Lebanese Designer, Karen Chekerdjian.

living-space-1200- - Living Space Material: Wood - Rattan Color: Natural 268 (w) × 50 (d) × 70 (h) cm Sculptural yet practical, this piece does it all. A combination of lounger, coffee table, stool and magazine rack, it is more than furniture and almost verges on architecture. Developed for an exhibition for pop-up gallery, Carwan based on the theme of creating contemporary furniture using traditional know-how, the piece takes the rattan panels once commonly used in Lebanon to make café-trottoir chairs and… Karen Chekerdjian

The pieces selected for this first show of Chekerdjian’s work in the UK explore how the challenges of a difficult urban landscape can inspire new ways of creating through processes of trial and error.

"Chekerdjian’s work falls into a category of its own, one that could be called ‘Industrial Handicrafts’. Unmoored from time thanks to their blend of traditional manufacturing techniques and industrial aesthetics, Karen’s designs are distinctly Lebanese and yet also international. As much at home in a traditional Levantine house as they would be in a minimalist interior, they are idiosyncratic reflections of the spirit of Beirut, the city in which they are created." Excerpt from the gallery's text.