Beirut has a way of turning memory into material. At We Design Beirut 2025, that memory took shape through thread, clay, wood, and light, forming a collective portrait of resilience. Lebanese photographer Bernard Khalil captured it all with quiet precision, revealing a city that continues to rebuild itself through making, mending, and meaning.
Scroll down to discover We Design Beirut through Khalil’s lens.
SALIM AZZAM THREADS OF LIFE THE EMBROIDERED DREAM
At the Abroyan Factory, Salim Azzam turned embroidery into a form of storytelling. Beneath floating silk panels, artisans stitched and sang, their movements linking generations of makers. Azzam’s inspiration comes from his childhood in Mount Lebanon, where women expressed emotion through thread and cloth. The installation carried that legacy forward, transforming memory into movement.
TAMAR HADECHIAN’S MATERIAL MEMORY
Tamar Hadechian treats clay as both companion and archive. Her installation Material Memory filled the Abroyan Factory with the quiet rhythm of touch and transformation. Layers of pressed earth and bricks became markers of time and labor. Khalil’s lens captured the intimacy of her gestures, the way clay holds emotion long after the hands have lifted away. The result felt meditative and raw, an echo of memory shaped by instinct.
SARAH BEYDOUN’S HANGING BY A THREAD
Sarah Beydoun brought her signature sense of color and purpose to Threads of Life. Best known as the founder of Sarah’s Bag, she has always used design to tell stories of strength and community. Her installation built on that same mission, turning craft into a collective voice. In Khalil’s photographs, the textures and tones revealed a reflection of empathy woven into every detail.
HASSAN IDRISS THE SUPPERCLUB
Hassan Idriss invited visitors into a labyrinth of linen that opened onto a dining table surrounded by twelve symbolic figures. Each seat represented a fragment of society, complete with soundtracks playing through suspended headphones. What appeared pristine from above revealed its imperfections beneath, an intentional metaphor for the complexity of human connection. Khalil’s images captured that duality, the stillness above and the vulnerability below.
BOKJA DESIGN’S ITS ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE
Bokja Design has always excelled at turning nostalgia into conversation. Their installation encouraged visitors to look closer, to find meaning in patterns that often pass unnoticed. Each handwoven work carried its own secret, a memory stitched into fabric. Khalil’s photographs reflected that honesty and humor, showing how Bokja continues to transform everyday materials into cultural reflections.
FABRICA THE LIVING MOSAIC
At Fabrica, creativity became a shared act. Ceramicists shaped pottery while visitors picked up broken or perfect tiles and added them to a growing mosaic on the wall. Each gesture contributed to a larger story about collaboration and imperfection.
WICKERSCAPE BY RATTAN HUN
Rattan Hun explored the potential of a single material through Wickerscape, a handwoven environment made of rattan seats, rugs, and surfaces. The installation blurred the line between craft and architecture. Its meaning came alive only when people entered and interacted with it. Khalil’s images caught that transformation, the moment craft became experience.
STUDIO NADA DEBS’ ROMAN BATH FOR BIRDS AND IN ASSEMBLY
Studio Nada Debs presented two installations that reflected both serenity and play. Roman Bath for Birds transformed Beirut’s ancient baths into a sanctuary for nature, with glowing onyx basins designed for native birds to perch and drink. In Assembly celebrated craftsmanship through collaboration, inviting artisans and visitors to co-create with marquetry and digital design. Khalil’s photographs revealed the poetic contrast between the two, one meditative and the other alive with movement, both rooted in connection.
ALSO READ: SALIM AZZAM PUT TOGETHER A POWERFUL PERFORMANCE AT WE DESIGN BEIRUT.
