Departure Point
Online gallery Adorno’s new collection unites contemporary Jordanian design with treasured local craft traditions
Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert is an otherworldly place that could stand in for a newly discovered planet in a sci-fi movie – all pink sand and jagged rocks, it feels both futuristic and primaeval. As such, it was the ideal setting to showcase online gallery Adorno’s new Departures collection, which explores the crossover between the region’s ancient craft traditions and contemporary design. Created in collaboration with the Office of H.M.Queen Rania Al Abdullah, the collection has been curated by Rana Beiruti, co-founder of Amman Design Week.
Strikingly photographed among the desert rocks, the 10-piece collection represents what Beiruti describes as a “voyage into futuristic forms” that is “rooted in the earth”. Celebrating organic materials such as wood, stone, ceramic, metal and wool, with an emphasis on the locally sourced and repurposed, it highlights rising talents who deploy heritage craft techniques. Amman architect Rula Yaghmour’s Petra vase, part of her Kutleh series, is a prime example: this curvilinear piece, made of layers of limestone and marble that mimic rock strata, echoes the red and brown hues of mountain landscapes. Similarly, multidisciplinary studio Twelve Degrees’ Jarra vessels revive the ancient tradition of cooling water in clay pots. Here, Jordanian artisans have recreated the effect using modern glazing techniques.
Other pieces are more playful, such as industrial designer Ahmad Jarrar’s balloon-shaped piggy bank, crafted from pink ceramic and brass, which unplugs at the base to release a shower of coins. There’s also a strong sense of the tactile potential of materials, and the sensuality of colour: SNC Design Studio’s Hammer & Chisel cake stands in beech, maple and walnut are hand-carved by craftsmen with random markings, so no two are alike, while the Turret candleholder by Amman product designers In Doi luxuriates in the patterned veining of black marble, fashioned into a sinuous form that doubles as an organiser for small objects. adorno.design