FANTASMEEM

The pillar SKILLS aimed at building capacity and strengthening skills of designers and design entrepreneurs in a practical and professional way, so as to help them grow their creative business and succeed in expanding the outreach of their various design projects. The design residency “Faculty,” the online training program “Design, Entrepreneurship and Co-Creation in Times of Overlapping Crises” and the intensive “Design Entrepreneurship Incubator Programme” were programs that were held under the pillar SKILLS, along with specialized workshops, targeted trainings and other qualification programs. Considering the national context in Lebanon as well as the global challenges faced by creatives and designers in particular, there was a focus put especially on sustainability and resilience in times of crises.

The pillar FORWARD consisted in granting financial support for selected design projects, often with a sustanability and/or resilience focus, aiming at accompanying the development of design practices, as well as sustaining the design scene in Lebanon despite all the challenges faced because of multilayered crises. Some programs integrated a mentoring component to provide tailor-made advice and feedback on the design practices and projects being developed. The “Forward Fund” and the “Lebanon Design Fund” were two main programs that were run under the FORWARD pillar.

The FOCUS pillar offered informative events and knowledge-exchange opportunities among experts and stakeholders from the cultural and creative scene in Lebanon and the MENA region, with a focus on design and entrepreneurship. This aims at exchanging knowledge and opening discussions on various themes relevant to the design scene in Lebanon, and in various design fields. The events under the FOCUS pillar were public and every interested party is free to join and encouraged to contribute to the discussion. “Design in Times of Crisis” was the only live event before lockdowns and sanitary restrictions forced following events, such as “Reviving Design and Rebuilding a City” and “Innovative Design Entrepreneurship in Times of Crises”, to be held online.

The EXPOSURE pillar provided opportunities for designers and design entrepreneurs to showcase their work in different design events in Lebanon and abroad. This aimed at increasing their visibility on the design scene, locally and regionally, as well as giving them opportunities to network with their peers and other stakeholders from the cultural and creative industries. Before the pandemic hit, the EXPOSURE pillar had offered designers and design entrepreneurs a chance to participate in the Beirut Design Week and the Amman Design Week, and before the Beirut blast, a “Finals” exhibition was held at the Goethe-Institut Libanon in Gemmayze.

The FINDINGS pillar featured research pieces by creatives, design experts, academics and practitioners, tackling the challenges and potential of the design sector as a creative industry in Lebanon. This aimed at gathering data on design in Lebanon to better grasp the challenges, needs and opportunities for growth and development of the sector.