Beirut-born and based designer Rana Salam takes Dubai Design Week on an inspirational journey of the ‘Wow and Wonderful World of Rana Salam’.
Beirut-born and based designer Rana Salam takes Dubai Design Week on an inspirational journey of the ‘Wow and Wonderful World of Rana Salam’.
‘The Wow and Wonderful World of Rana Salam’ is Rana’s term for all the things that surround her and from which she draws inspiration from: “For me inspiration comes from the observation of the old and the new; both end of the spectrum, from the high end of today’s culture to the past rediscovered” says Rana.
“The Wow and Wonderful World consists not just of design, but of a mix of things - an eclectic selection of found ephemeras, the edgy side of fashion and cultural nostalgia such as old cinema posters and signage. I’m like an alchemist: things get transformed into another language or product which is the beautiful thing about design, ” she adds.
It is Rana’s powerful sense of observation that makes her so well suited to the role of curator of Iconic City: Brilliant Beirut - the first narrative to record the development of design in the Lebanese capital since the nation’s independence seven decades ago. The exhibition she has assembled documents and illustrates how the city, with its blend of diverse cultures, produced world acclaimed designers and reflects on the reasons it remains at the forefront of design in the region. Brilliant Beirut looks at architecture and interior design as well as product and graphic design, continuing through to design education and the process of creating cultural trends in the region and all in a graphic colourful, multi-layered style that is unmistakably Rana.
The daughter of Assem Salam, the renowned Lebanese modernist architect, Rana grew up amid the city’s community of architects and designers, and instinctively incorporates the street culture of Beirut into the development of her distinctive designs, making the pop culture of the Middle East her signature style. Ever the design magpie, the collector of things, “it’s instinctive”, she takes her visual cues from billboards, vintage film posters and signs of consumerism and translates them into visually captivating designs.
Nowhere is the ‘Wow and Wonderful World’ more prevalent than in Rana’s own home: the 1950s flat, with its secret cupboard and quirky bar, she stumbled over not knowing it belonged to the acclaimed architect George Rais (whose work features in Brilliant Beirut). “I hide nothing, everything is mesmerising and delicious to look at.” And, unexpected always, with new objects appearing juxtaposed with the once disregarded, exposed to bring a new light to them.
For more insight into Rana’s ‘Wow and Wonderful World’ and Iconic City: Brilliant Beirut, Rana will be giving guided tours twice-daily throughout Dubai Design Week at 11am and 5pm.
For more insight into Rana’s ‘Wow and Wonderful World’ and Iconic City: Brilliant Beirut, Rana will be giving guided tours twice-daily throughout Dubai Design Week at 11am and 5pm. Building 7, Dubai Design District (d3)