The EXPOSURE pillar provides opportunities for designers and design entrepreneurs to showcase their work in different design events in Lebanon and abroad. This aims 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.
To realize this exhibition, designers from different practices were given empty white frames and asked to nullify the emptiness with works of art. The result was a diverse collection of visuals that include the realist, the sarcastic, the experimental and the futurist; this reflects the creators’ inner and social questionings.
This exhibition came to conclude the first year of FANTASMEEM, as all exhibitionists are aspiring designers who participated in FANTASMEEM activities that include the design residency Faculty, the job shadowing opportunity Factory, and the design start-up grant Forward.
Unfortunately, the Beirut explosions on August 4, 2021 destroyed many of the artworks as they were still exhibited at the Goethe-Institut Libanon when it was severely damaged due to its close location near the port.
In 2019, 9 designers and design entrepreneurs were selected to participate in the Amman Design Week in Jordan. The selected participants were able to travel to Amman and take part in the fair through a grant received from FANTASMEEM. In Amman, they met with Jordanian designers and design entrepreneurs part of Takween’s network, FANTASMEEM’s sister project in Jordan. By taking part in the Amman Design Week, the selected designers and design entrepreneurs from Lebanon were thus able to connect with peers in Jordan through workshops and events organised in the context of the fair as well as to gain visibility on a regional level.
Beirut Design Week 2019
The Goethe-Institut Libanon was a key participant in the Beirut Design Week 2019 that took place in July 2019. Its participation showcased the work of 16 FANTASMEEM Faculty alumni - designers and design entrepreneurs from various fields working in Lebanon. Combining each alumnus’ unique approach, they have collectively curated their exhibition by participating either individually or in small groups, following the spirit that they shared during the design residency of FANTASMEEM.
