“Design for a Nomadic World” explores how art, architecture and design can address the emotional, cultural and aesthetic needs of refugees, while fostering a better cross-cultural understanding. The exhibition features the collaborative research and creative work produced by the faculty and students of the Future Heritage Lab – MIT Department of Architecture and GJU Department of Architecture with CARE Jordan and Al Azraq camp residents. It showcases studies of everyday-life problems and inventions of the Al Azraq refugee camp. Integral part of the exhibition is the Lightweaver workshop, which presents the creative process across borders. It will involve the co-creation of the Lightweaver prototypes, playful kinetic lighting machines and educational devices developed in collaboration with the artists, engineers and inventors from the Al Azraq refugee camp. The Lightweaver translates stories from textiles into a sensory play of light, aiming to preserve cultural memory and inspire hope.

The exhibition title references Victor Papanek’s seminal book Design for the Real World (1971). Papanek’s work revealed the discrepancy between design and the “real needs” of people, especially the unprivileged and marginalized. The Design for a Nomadic World exhibition takes on Papanek’s mission to point at the needs of refugees and explore how refugee camps can be understood as civic spaces where crucial social healing, innovation, creativity and cross-cultural interactions takes place. The exhibition aims to broaden the dialogue around the role of design in conditions of conflict and crisis within a global perspective.

Location: Darat Othman Bdeir,
German-Jordanian University
Amman Downtown (entrance across from Balad Theatre)

Dates: October 6-14, 2017

Time: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Opening Reception: Sunday, October 14:30

The exhibition is led by Dr. Azra Aksamija, Future Heritage Lab – MIT, in collaboration with Dr. Mohammad Yaghan – SABE – GJU, and produced with the curatorial team including Zeid Madi and Melina Philippou, as well as the exhibition production team including Omar Al Darwish and Rasha Al-Sharqawi. Sponsored by MIT Future Heritage Lab; MIT CAST Mellon Faculty Grant; MISTI Global Seed Fund; MIT Arab World Program; GJU Department of Architecture; CARE Jordan.