Here and There: A Palestinian Collection

Curated by designer and architect Dima Srouji, who, with experience working in Palestine and abroad, brings her interdisciplinary approach to design and curatorial commentary to the presentation of the Palestinian design scene in form of this collection, debuted by Adorno International Design Collaboration, a digital gallery, spanning the fields of furniture, textiles, ceramics, sculpture and design- art.

This first presentation is introduced by Adorno whose founder Kristian Snorre Andersen expressed, “We had very limited insight into the Palestinian design scene before we started working with Dima on her collection and were right away intrigued by the talent and distinctive and original qualities of the pieces included in this project. Although the artists behind these pieces live both in Palestine and in other countries, it is very interesting to see the strong connections in the design language applied.”

From maintaining the use of traditional, local knowledge to incorporating contemporary techniques and materials in the diaspora abroad, the collaborating designers presented in ‘Here and There’ contribute to the continuity and development of contemporary Palestinian design, sharing their collective and individual artistic viewpoints with the larger world. This collection spans a variety of media, techniques, and forms and includes work from Hollow Forms, Local Industries, Moio Studios, Faissal El Malak, and Turabi Ceramics.

‘Here and There: A Palestinian Collection’ gives audiences a view into the collaborative and diverse world of the contemporary Palestinian design scene. From a curatorial perspective, Srouji describes that “this collaborative and diverse creative energy allows for intersections between local knowledge and global know-how and has placed Palestinian design alongside global productions. Design is a collective denominator where each designer is revisiting a local industry with a new perspective whether in Palestine or abroad”

As a designer and Founder of Hollow Forms, Srouji explores issues of identity, globalisation, and tradition amidst the country’s long and ongoing political uncertainty, "There is something about the work as a collection that I find really exciting. There is this invisible thread that connects the work together whether through similar influences, through the bold colours and sensual forms, or through a similar research-based methodology. It's the first time that a Palestinian design collection is shown together, that I know of. It's a good time for us to also question what we want to develop together moving forward."

"I saw this as an opportunity to showcase Palestinian designers physically based in Palestine alongside Palestinian designers in the diaspora. There are a few people that are developing similar interests [and] techniques that may also not know each other. Connecting them together in this platform is a good start to what potentially can be a long- term collaboration process between the group of designers."