The intricate design and production process was launched in January 2022, remaining true to House of Today’s mission, which is to foster the entire design ecosystem, starting with artisans. The Candle Project aims at giving back to the ecosystem, through philanthropic efforts, mentorship programs and supporting the Lebanese designers who took part.

The ten Lebanese designers include both internationally renowned names, as well as emerging talents. This is the first time any of the designers have worked with wax as the final medium: Nada Debs, Carla Baz, Richard Yasmine, 200Grs, Aline Asmar d’Amman, david/nicolas, Flavie Audi, Sayar & Garibeh, LimbObject and Tamara Barrage.

Each of their wax creations are unique in their own right, drawing inspiration from their artistic practices, be it architecture, interior design, bespoke product design or woodwork, to bring the viewer a source of ambient light, that melts into its chosen setting. 

The collaboration with the Beit Chabab Workshop

As a means to encourage local crafts, the designers were paired with wax experts at Beit Chabeb – a hospital for the disabled, with full-fledged artisanal workshops. House of Today worked closely with the designers and artisans in the workshop, to explore the potential of one material, and guide the elaborate production process, from sketch to final sculpture. Accordingly, each candle immerses the viewer in the designers’ visions, exploring meticulous Lebanese artisanship, and proudly elevating local crafts on an international scale.

Leading the candle production process is Mr. Roukoz Moussallem. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, he embodies resilience in every form. It is through the opportunity granted to him at Beit Chabeb, that he has created a new meaning for his life through crafts. The production process entailed a transference of knowledge and skills, where Mr. Moussallem went beyond creating small candles, to crafting sculptural candles using artisanal methods. “When we started the project, it took us around a year to create the molds and bring the designs to life, given the level of detail and finishing required, for each novel piece,” explains Mr. Moussallem. “Our role was to explore numerous dimensions, from the colors to the textures, to achieve such a meticulous outcome following numerous trials,” he adds. 

The detailed journey of The Candle Project

The ten internationally renowned Lebanese designers followed an intricate seven-step process, to bring their visions to light. Starting with a sketch, and followed by 3D molds, drying and perfecting by hand, the process to produce artisanal candles at this scale required a very meticulous approach to achieve the intended outcome. The attributes of wax, size of the candles, as well as the refined details of each piece, were all key factors to consider, in the production process. The project commenced and was completed, as Lebanon continues to undergo one of the worst economic crises globally, which has impacted institutions such as Beit Chabeb. 

Proceeds of The Candle Project

The proceeds from The Candle Project will go towards supporting Beit Chabeb and its initiatives, as well as the ten Lebanese designers, and towards House of Today’s mentorship program to cultivate Lebanon’s design scene. Moreover, the partnership will help safeguard local production techniques and support small organizations sustain their passion for the crafts, celebrating the unwavering spirit and dedication of artisans in Lebanon. 

Last July 2022, Tamara was a visiting designer, pursuing a residency program at Schloss Hollenegg for Design. The designer had the opportunity to master the art of glass blowing for the first time, at Studio Comploj's furnace, under the artistic direction of Alice Stori Liechtenstein.

The exhibition, ‘Ashes & Sand’, will explore the incredible diversity of glass in terms of use, production techniques and style. Next to the historical glass objects of Schloss Hollenegg ranging from Venetian chandeliers to Lobmeyrs table services, 27 designers will present their own glass works, ranging from mirrors, to lamps, vases, drinking fountains and fibreglass textiles, that have been moulded, melted, blown and 3D printed. 

TRACES OF LIGHT 

by Tamara Barrage

One of the first objects a visitor in Schloss Hollenegg encounters, is a pair of monumental candelabras, standing guard on either side of the doorway to the Festsaal. Measuring over two meters in height, the candelabras are a composition of blue and white Chinese porcelains bound together by bronze arms. It is one of the many objects made in 18th century Europe - probably in the Netherlands, considering the tiles decorating the wooden foot. 

These candelabras, together with the other smaller but similar pieces around the castle, were the inspiration for Tamara Barrage’s work. The fruits of her three weeks residency at Schloss Hollenegg are two glass candelabras blown in Vienna by Robert Comploj of Studio Comploj. Playing with the idea that what were once objects used regularly to provide light, are now only for special occasions, Tamara has created large pieces with a mostly symbolic function. If candles are indeed used, the flame plays beautifully with the glass, bringing the subtle colours to brilliance. Tamara has deftly adapted the shapes typical of her work and reminiscent of sea creatures, to the medium of glass: the stacked shapes float weightlessly. 

Salt’ presents the latest works by Nathalie, based on a creative process that involved exploring sculptural dimensions of functional objects, be it bowls, vases or candelabras. Nathalie was keen to trust the flow in the crafting of each piece, to explore all the sculptural possibilities. The collection appears to emerge from the depths of the sea and the natural world. The creation of each unique piece, with no two alike, involved peeling back and molding layers of clay, and fusing two seemingly contrasting elements, speaking volumes based on the setting they are in.

House of Today and the Department of Architecture and Design at the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at the American University of Beirut are delighted to introduce their first collaboration of many to come.

The non-profit platform founded by Cherine Magrabi and the Department of Architecture and Design are thrilled to inspire, emulate and support the next generation of creatives by welcoming, for the very first time in Lebanon, three acclaimed international designers and architects - Porky Hefer, Guan Lee and Marco Campardo- for the symposium Augmented Autarky that will be held on January 13th 2023, followed by a 4-days workshop entitled Beyond Foraging.

Porky Hefer is an artist and designer famous for his limited edition human nests and living pods in Kooboo cane, leather or recycled waste. His work has been exhibited in leading fairs, biennales and galleries worldwide. His obsession with vernacular architecture and the use of local building techniques, artisans and materials to create is evident in The Nest@ Sossus, a totally hand built, off the grid structure in Namibia, which won the Wallpaper Design Award in 2019 for best new private residence. By embracing skills and processes that are readily available indigenously, rather than trying to emulate foreign processes, he ensures to preserve and keep them relevant in a modern age.

Guan Lee is the co-founder of Material Architecture Lab at the Bartlett School of Architecture, where he is also associate professor of architecture. Grymsdyke Farm, his own research practice set in the Chilterns Buckinghamshire, explore the value of a collective living/ working practice that involves an intimate engagement with materials and processes of making - often combining craft and digital technology- in a specific place. His series of chairs and objects made from Polirock - a fired clay with unique characteristics somewhere between ceramic and rocks yet made by recycling manufacturing waste - has been recently exhibited in Paris and Milan.

Marco Campardo is a London-based designer and maker pushing boundaries in material and manufacturing experimentation. By exploring alternatives to standardised mass production and smartly subverting/adapting tools and methods, his work for brands as well as for galleries or cultural institutions blurs the line between craftsmanship and industry, high-end and lo-fi, reproduction and uniqueness. His « Reversible»projectinexpandedclayboundtogetherwithsugarinstalled in the windows of Selfridges during last LDF, has put circularity within the context of temporary installations in the spotlight. He has just been nominated for the Saltzman Prize at the Design Museum.

Kicking off the collaboration of House of Today and the Department of Architecture and Design at the American University of Beirut, design critic and journalist Anne-France Berthelon, creative strategic consultant for HoT along with architect/designer Rana Haddad, from the Department of Architecture and Design at AUB- founder of BePublic Lab at AUB, co-founder of 200Grs.-; co-curated the symposium Augmented Autarky followed by Beyond Foraging workshop in January 2023. The symposium invites Porky Hefer, Guan Lee and Marco Campardo to share their respective creative process and highlight how working with local available resources not only prevents vernacular techniques and cultural knowledge from vanishing, but also allows bold contemporary projects and conversations to bloom.

Following the symposium, Guan Lee will lead Beyond Foraging, a 4-days workshop envisioned as a material and cultural exploration, setting the cross-pollination of disciplines (architecture, design, art, craft, engineering, computer science ...) at the core of the design ecosystem. The free workshop will be open to all design enthusiasts- designers, artists, architects, photographers, engineers, students and freshly graduates - through an application form.

Putting contemporary design on both local and global maps, House of Today was founded in 2012 in Beirut by Cherine Magrabi Tayeb as a non- profit platform identifying, nurturing, commissioning and empowering a talented community of creatives in Lebanon. A decade later, such a milestone cannot be celebrated but with the right partner, theDepartment of Architecture and Design at the American University of Beirut. For over half a century, the Department of Architecture and Design at AUB has been recognized for its rigorous education, integrating design and explorative thinking with critical research and cultural/regional positioning. With that, this collaboration celebrates both their missions by supporting inclusiveness and higher creative education and igniting dynamic cultural conversations towards a common goal: allowing the next generation of creatives at large to blossom.

Symposium

‘Augmented Autarky’ is open to the public on January 13, 2023, from 3 to 6 pm at Maamari Auditorium, Olayan School of Business, at the American University of Beirut. 

Workshop

‘Beyond Foraging’ is open to all design enthusiasts: students and fresh graduates, designers, artists, architects, photographers and engineers. It will be taking place between the 14th and 17th of January 2023 at ArD AUB.

The workshop is free of charge: Apply here before December 27, 2022.

Celestial spheres of sand unveiled by design duo Karim Tamerji and Elias El Hage at Downtown Design with the support of House of Today.

Making its debut at Downtown Design Dubai from November 9 to 12, 2022 is IOTA, a grand scale installation crafted by multidisciplinary Lebanese designers Karim Tamerji and Elias El Hage with the support of House of Today. The aesthetic wonder entails 150 handcrafted spheres of sand in hues of blood orange and shades of blue, sourced from the natural landscapes of the UAE. The modular installation reimagines the use of a natural and timeless material with both an artistic and sustainable edge, designed to welcome guests into the exhibition hall.

When the design duo came together to work on IOTA, they sought to explore sand sustainably, given its contextual and cultural importance in the UAE. Adopting the age-old technique of rammed earth, they created a narrative around grains of sand translated into ethereal spheres, showcasing shades of the country’s desert, sea and sky. An additional experiential layer of audio design has been added to immerse guests into sounds of the desert.

“Sand has existed timelessly and, in many ways, paints a meaningful picture of the city's history, culture and identity. Instinctively, we saw this as an opportunity worth embracing, while asking ourselves — how can we use the most abundant local material as an ecological ode to Dubai?”

Exploring The Creative Process

“When tasked with this project, we needed to study it from all angles, with sustainability at the core and addressed from a technical standpoint,” the designers comment. “Our proposal strictly preserves the ecological method of compressing earth, where sand and natural materials are hand pressed into ready-made molds; it’s important for us to remain true to the technique. By only challenging the material’s geometric quality, we have attempted to showcase an ancient and perceptibly heavy material as contemporary, soft, and weightless."

Karim and Elias will handmake each of the 150 spheres uniquely, using custom designed molds to house the earthen mix. Each sphere’s tangent surface is designed to rest safely on the ground or interconnect to their modular counterparts. During installation, the spheres will undergo a stackable assembly process, using steel rods and brackets to achieve a structural web.

The intricate color mixing process uses only natural pigmentations, to capture aesthetic shades of blood orange and hues of powder and cobalt blue. “Each earthen sphere takes on a unique color and texture, showcasing the desert sand in its natural beauty,'' they say.

November 9-12, 2022

Downtown Design

House of Today, a non-profit organization founded in 2012 by Cherine Magrabi Tayeb, committed to fostering Lebanon’s sustainable design culture on a global scale, will unveil the awe-inspiring creations of Lebanese ceramicist Souraya Haddad, fused with the culinary works of art by Balbosté. 

This unprecedented showcase, commissioned by House of Today, coincides with Paris + by Art Basel. On display will be an aesthetic, multi-sensory dialogue between eternally unique pieces, along with unparalleled culinary experiences, bringing to life bound- less creativity. The intent of ‘Ceramic Banquet’ is to fuse a flair for life and conviviality that characterize Lebanon and its people, despite all the dire circumstances that the country continues to endure. 

Souraya designed a series of dishes, cups, bowls, vases and candelabras, made up of different volumes, layers and forms that will be show- cased at ‘Ceramic Banquet’. Souraya’s artistic process begins with crafting the object, followed by enameling, to introduce a shadowy glow to the base. Each piece entices every sense, from the gaze, to that of touch. Each piece within the collection serves as a powerful, yet delicate focal point, as guests explore the naturally pigmented enameled pieces in shades of grey, beige and hues of bluish pearl-grey. 

Playfulness, lightness and humor converge in Lina Shamma’s pottery, unveiled by House of Today at Bungalow’s pop up show. 

House of Today, a non-profit organization committed to cultivating a sustainable design ecosystem in Lebanon that transcends borders, is proud to unveil Lina Shamma’s latest collection entitled ‘Imprévu’, in New York, at Bungalow’s pop up show. With a solid background in architecture and design, Lina, an accomplished potter, fuses her passion for ceramics and worldly experiences into the intuitive collection of functional and aesthetic pottery. 

The functional series part of the ‘Imprévu’ collection, are unconventional, pushing the envelope, reinterpreting everyday objects. Each piece is unique, some adorned with real gold, and others finished with a vintage detail. The collection ultimately presents pieces

that are vulnerable yet provocative, and in some pieces discordant imperfections are

celebrated through aesthetical fluidity. 

The ‘Imprévu’ collection by Lina will be showcased at Bungalow’s pop up show, from April 21 - May 26, 2022, at the Westbeth Gallery (55 Bethune Street, New York, NY 10014). Bungalow is a roving and multidisciplinary gallery, founded in 2021, bringing together artists working across a range of creative modes, encouraging new and unexpected dialogues between their practices. 

Not a retrospective, nor an objective account of the modern history of our territory, this is Bernard's story of his father and architect of the modern movement, Khalil Khoury, and his passion for aeronautic engineering, panting, hunting, politics, industrial design, architecture, and above all, the female figure.