MOHAMMADREZA GHODOUSI
Mohammadreza Ghodousi is one of the founders of Iranian architecture practice ZAV Architects, which was established in 2006. The practice is pushing for the notion of ‘form follows public interest’, and is doing its best to implement this approach in all of its urban design and architecture projects. Based in Tehran, ZAV Architects looks at the evolution of the city and the contemporisation of its urban fabric to inform its designs. The firm’s upcoming projects in Tehran includes Charkhooneh, which aims to create public space for collective work and social interaction, focusing on the young generation active in entrepreneurship and the start-up scene. Another upcoming project is the design of the public spaces surrounding the Museum of the Iran-Iraq War in the Abbas Abad hills of Tehran. The practice is also working in the northern part of the country, redesigning a farm for community activities and contemporary agri-production, with a view to creating agritourism.
Nada Debs is a Lebanese designer living and working in Beirut whose work ranges from product and furniture design to craft, art, fashion and interiors. What ties her work together is her ability to distil culture and craftsmanship to create pieces of emotional resonance. Fascinated by the role of the human hand to tell stories and evoke a sense of belonging, she describes craft as a feeling that goes beyond geography, language and culture, regularly utilising craft traditions and techniques found across the Middle East in her work, presenting them in a contemporary language that often interacts with other global influences. She is currently working on the renovation of the Arab League Hall in Cairo, as well as designing a collection of prayer rugs called Transcendence, her latest collaboration with the Fatma Bint Mohamed Bin Zayed Initiative (FMBI), with whom she had previously created the You and I rug collection in collaboration with female carpet weavers in Kabul.
Noura Al Sayeh is an architect and curator currently working at the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) as Head of Architectural Affairs, where she is responsible for overseeing the planning and implementation of cultural institutions and museums, as well as the creation of an active agenda of exhibitions and academic exchange initiatives. Since 2015, she has been directing the ‘Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy’ UNESCO World Heritage project, which was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the 2019 cycle and is part of the Muharraq Revitalisation Project. She is currently co-curating and designing Bahrain's participation at the Venice Biennale alongside Ghassan Chemali. She is the deputy general commissioner for Density Weaves Opportunities, Bahrain's Pavilion at the Expo Dubai 2020, and continues to work on the ongoing Pearling Path project.