T SAKHI - Tessa & Tara Sakhi

Collaborations

CRAFTSMEN

The craftsmanship emphasizes various cultural heritage; a correlation between the Oriental and Occidental traditions combined into one harmonious and complementary entity, clearly identifying their similarities but also highlighting their differences.

Ounovis

Having collaborated for the past twenty years, Gilbert Debs and Claudia Chahine share an experimental approach, a passion for the beautiful and inventive, a desire to preserve nature and the environment – as evidenced by past works Agoni and Tuvalu – and a commitment to the handmade. They constantly navigate the boundaries between the brain and the body, the possible and the impossible, pushing the limits of their craft. From their workshop, they pursue purity, undertaking all stages from the design concept through to the finished product. Whilst Debs brings ingenuity in the search for materials and the invention of new processes, Chahine shapes the spirit of their creative studio through design, rigor, and precision in her artistic choices. They collaborate with other designers, lending their professional expertise both in executing design projects and researching materials. Read more on ounovis.com or follow on @gilbert_debs_ounovis

Fabiano Amadi

During the years of apprenticeship on his home island, Murano, Amadi learned the technique, but above all understood that passion is the true essence of this millenary art. Glass processing is not simply a job, it is his world. Inspiration comes at the moment of creation, it all begins in his furnace with the first gestures when the glass is molded with the simplest and purest forms. Little by little, beauty lets itself be guided by fire and expert hands while the material takes shape. Then the attention to detail will make each object surprise expectations and become a work of art. Amadi collaborates with many Italian and international companies to produce and give substance to their projects. Over the years his company had the opportunity to collaborate with well-known architects and designers from all over the world, creating every type of creation with passion and being recognized for his quality and attention to detail. Read more on fabianoamadi.com or follow on @lavorazioneartistiche

Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council

Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council engages with women artisans across the UAE, Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, Central Asia and South East Asia regions to empower them economically and socially through vocational training and up-skilling programmes. In doing so, the Council has been ensuring the preservation of indigenous craft heritage. A hub of global crafts collaborations, Irthi ensures the modernisation of traditional crafts, and creates new market opportunities for local craftswomen by partnering them with international designers and artists, merging Emirati crafts and artisanal techniques with cutting-edge design and innovation to produce contemporary Emirati crafted products. Irthi is an affiliate of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment (NAMA) and operates under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of NAMA. Read more on irthi.com or follow on @irthi

The PieceMakers

Founded by Taymour Jreissati in 2015, The PieceMakers - originally branded Tawlet - started as just a small business dedicated to table creation when the founder & his wife Lea, noticed there was a large void in Beirut’s furniture market for affordable, modern, quality pieces. Quickly, they built a solid reputation based on trust, quality outcomes & customer satisfaction. This helped them organically grow into a promising platform for design & customization, successfully collaborating with some of the best architects, designers, and entrepreneurs in the country and managed to build a wide & loyal database of individual customers. Read more on thepiecemakers.com or follow on @thepiecemakers_beirut

Marm Group

Marm Group has over 50 years of stone experience in mining and processing. The company is fully supported by qualified personnel and facilities for the production of dimensional rough blocks and slabs. Being consistent and reliable in the supply of their product satisfies their customers’ requirements and needs, specially after sale contact. Their aim is to put their products between the most demanded ones. Their quarries are well equipped with the latest in mining technology and processing. Read ore on marmgroup.com or follow on @marmgroup

Boisseliers du Riff

Established in 1913 the Boisseliers du Rif represents one of the most important Lebanese woodcraft enterprises, which made artistic woodwork a way of life. Each year some fifty creative artists produce jewels of precious wood ranging from small jewelry boxes to cigar boxes to a wide range of contemporary furniture. A decade of improved technology and superior design has resulted in creating for Boisseliers du Rif a label, which is of great quality finesse and good taste. Read more on boisseliersdurif.com or follow on @boisserliers_du_rif

GALLERISTS

The exhibitions enrich the diverse works showcased locally and internationally in cultural institutions such as galleries, platforms, fairs and non-profit organizations related to architecture, design, art, film and fashion.

Galerie Gosserez

Building on her early years as an antique dealer as well as an auctioneer, and driven by her lifelong passion for decorative arts, Marie-Bérangère Gosserez founded in 2010 a contemporary design gallery. Having an eye for esthetics, she identifies and discovers singular talents with a particular vision. At a crossroads between art, design and sculpture, Galerie Gosserez exhibits the works of artists and designers who challenge, question and stretch the boundaries of shapes, textures and materials. Those rare pieces of contemporary furniture, sometimes practical and serviceable, sometimes sculptural and expressive, are always intended for an international clientele. Rubbing shoulders with fine craftsmanship, these unique or limited edition pieces highlight and foster excellence in art and craft. With great attention to detail and foolproof accuracy, Galerie Gosserez also supports the elaboration of special projects and bespoke designs for collectors and interior architects on the lookout for a unique art-de-vivre. Read more on galeriegosserez.com or follow on @galeriegosserez

Le Lab

LE LAB is a contemporary and collectible design gallery founded by Egyptian Art and Design collector Rasheed Kamel. Le Lab' mission is to re-explore the way in which collectible design is interpreted in the Middle East today. Contemporary and collectible design is a language; it tells a story of our historic past, tales of major societal events and the way in which they were perceived. It is a means to understanding our common humanity and the important regional and international influences on our heritage. Allowing us to question our present, and plan for a more influential and dominant role in the future. It is also a place to experiment, discover and explore the untapped areas found today in our quest to identify and differentiate between the three fields of art, design and architecture. Le Lab’s multi-disciplinary approach, collaborating with some of the region’s greatest and brightest artists, designers, artisans and architects promises to challenge our understanding of the contemporary design scene both locally and regionally, promoting an enriching exchange of ideas and influences. Read more on thisislelab.com or follow on @thisislelab

DIRECTORS

Tangents is a series of short-films produced by the studio in collaboration with different directors to immerse the viewer into their projects. It is born from the two sister's eagerness to revisit each space they designed through a fantasy, intersecting architecture with film, fashion and music.

Rémie Maksoud

Rémie Maksoud, a Beirut-based Lebanese filmmaker, explores the complexities of the human condition through her films. Her work seeks to uncover the hidden aspects of reality, revealing the liminal space between the visible and the invisible, the conscious and the unconscious. She focuses on the emotional complexities of the relationship between individuals and their native land, revealing how interior conflicts shape our relationship to the world. With a decade of experience as a Set Designer, Rémie's unique combination of storytelling and visual styling brings vivid and engaging stories to life on screen. Read more or follow on @remie.mk

Dei El Ayoubi

Dei El Ayoubi is an internationally award winning director - creative director whose unique approach to storytelling involves an ethereal visual style, rich in metaphor and potent in its portrayal of culture and humanity. Her philosophy is simple: solving problems creatively, while imbuing work with emotion and story. Whether as a writer, director or creative director, telling human stories is at the heart of Dei’s work. “Human emotion transcends culture, we all know and understand love, joy, loneliness, separation, and loss regardless of where we grew up or what language we speak. For me, the authenticity lies in bringing truthful experiences to the screen.” Read more on deielayoubi.com or follow on @deil_elayoubi

Mounia Akl

Mounia Akl is a Lebanese director and writer living in New York. She holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from ALBA and an MFA in Directing from Columbia University. Mounia was recently chosen by the Cannes Film Festival’s Director’s fortnight's Factory to represent Lebanon at the 70th Cannes Film Festival as part of Lebanon Factory. Read more on mouniaakl.com or follow on @mounia.akl

Ely Dagher

Ely Dagher is and artist/film-maker working with different mediums and producing work that intertwines on different levels. His work focuses on the layering and constructing of multiple narratives across film, painting and installation. Drawing from his upbringing in Lebanon and his current situation, his work explores the correlation and possibilities created through the play between cultures, histories and fiction. Ely’s artworks function as an extension to his interrogations, joggling between different points of identification and visual structures, from surrealism, science fiction and the occult. His latest short film “WAVES‘98″ (2015) was awarded the short film Palme D’Or at the 68th Cannes Film Festival. His films have been awarded at numerous international film festivals. Read more on elydagher.com or follow on @elydagher

Cyril Aris

Cyril Aris is a Lebanese Director & Screenwriter, with an MFA from Columbia University in the City of New York, currently in post-production for The Swing (2017), his first feature documentary, recipient of a post-production grant from AFAC, and in development for his first fiction feature The House of Glass. His last short film, The President’s Visit (2017), had its world premiere at the 42nd Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2017. Read more on cyrilaris.com or follow on @cyrilaris

MUSICIANS

Tangents is a series of short-films produced by the studio in collaboration with different musicians to transport the viewer into their projects. It is born from the two sister's eagerness to revisit each space they designed through a fantasy, intersecting architecture with film, music and fashion. Each musician translates his/her own perception of the film into a musical journey.

Fadi Tabbal

Lebanese musician, producer, and sound engineer Fadi Tabbal’s work consists of guitar pieces ranging from stripped acoustics to ambient and electronic-inspired treatments. Tabbal is a full-time member of several Lebanese bands: psychedelic pop band The Incompetents, punk band Scrambled Eggs, electronic duo Stress/Distress. His newest project The Bunny Tylers (with Charbel Haber) veers between drone, electronics, post-rock and noise rock. In addition to handling engineering and production tasks at Tunefork Studios which he founded in 2006, Tabbal is a specialist in sound design and conception, and works on a variety of projects, including sound and music installations for museums, theatre, and films. Read more on faditabbal.com or follow on @fadi_tabbal

Marc Codsi

Marc Codsi is a Lebanese composer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of emblematic Lebanese rock band Scrambled Eggs for many years, before focusing his attention on electronic rock duo Lumi and his own solo activities. He currently pursues his career as a musician and performer in solo and with Lumi, and works as a record producer and film composer. Read more on marccodsi.bandcamp.com or follow on @marc_codsi

Mme Chandelier

Mme Chandelier is a Lebanese composer and producer. He is an expert in long division and the guitarist of Kinematik, an instrumental rock band from Lebanon, whose music blends elements of 70's psychedelia, progressive rock and post-rock. Read more on mmechandelier.com or follow on @mmechandelier

Walid Sarouh

Walid Sarrouh is a music composer and producer based between London and Beirut. His musical compositions join the East to the West, creating mystical blends of Oriental and Western music. His work has been featured in prominent advertising campaigns, TV shows and feature films. His repertoire also expands to playful children's music for live shows and animated series. Read more or follow on @walidsarrouh

PERFORMERS

The studio collaborates with performing artists to revisit each space they designed and translate his/her own perception of the work into an extension of their body, movements and emotions.

Jadd Tank

Jadd Tank’s passion for dance spans across 10 years of exploration in the boundless possibilities in which bodies, objects and events relate to each other: the spaces we create and the identities that spaces create for us. Raised by a Lebanese mother and Midwestern father in Dubai, Beirut and the US, his aesthetics are a delicate and bold melange - urgency, vulnerability, globalism and gesture - all brought together through a neo-nomadic lens. Read more on jaddtank.com or follow on @jadd_tank

FASHION DESIGNERS

Tangents is a series of short-films produced by the studio in collaboration with different fashion designers to immerse the viewer into their projects. It is born from the two sister's eagerness to revisit each space they designed through a fantasy, intersecting architecture with film, fashion and music. Each fashion designer translates his/her own perception of the film into a statement garment.

Second St.

Animating classic forms, using unique fabrics and methods such as geometry, dynamic design, and patchwork, Second st. gives classic styles and forms a playful twist for the contemporary urban lifestyle. The brand is run by its partners Sarah Hermez, Tracy Moussi, and Georges Rouhanna, who also lead and manage Creative Space Beirut, a free school for fashion design offering quality design education to talented youth who lack the resources to pursue an education at increasingly expensive institutions. The innovative initiative aims to promote equal opportunity into the creative sector and make the design world accessible to those with vision, flair, and the driving impulse to create. Read more on second-st.com and creativespacebeirut.com or follow on @second.st and @creativespacebeirut

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Each photographer translates his/her own perception of the projects into stills and memories.

Romain Bassenne

Romain Bassenne is a young French photographer who explores the different dimensions of territory, space, history and its inhabitants. Through reports or personal projects, he questions the presence of man and his own place activity. By his passion for craft, he is led to follow the way of producers, architects or designers. Born in 1986, Romain Bassenne graduated from l'École Nationale Supérieure Louis Lumière and lives in Paris. Read more on romainbassenne.com or follow on @romainbassenne

Tony Elieh

Tony Elieh is a musician and self-taught photographer based in Beirut. Working as a professional photographer since 2008, he specializes in architecture, fashion, food, and product photography. His work appeared in a variety of magazines and campaigns and he regularly collaborates with young local creatives - from artists and architects to design studios and music labels. He also has an impressive record of portraits from the Beirut culture scene. Read more on tonyelieh.com or follow on @tonyelieh

Ieva Saudargaite

Ieva Saudargaite is a conceptual artist and a photographer of architecture, artifacts and territories. She grew up between Lithuania, United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. She attended the Lebanese American University as well as École Spéciale d'Architecture, and received a Bachelor's degree in Architecture. Ieva has been based in Beirut since 2007. Read more on ievasaudargaite.com or follow on @ieva.saudargaite