We wrap up season two of the Tasmeem Doha podcast with Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès – founder of the Khatt Foundation and Khatt Books – to dive into the world of Arabic and Persian typography and graphic design. Building on the panel “Inner Structures — Outer Rhythms: Politics of Contemporary Design” that Huda moderated at the Tasmeem Doha conference this year, we talk about the cross-pollination between Arabic and Persian graphic design and the evolution of calligraphy.
0:00 Introduction
1:05 Contemporary Arab and Persian Arab Design
4:05 Learning Through Curation
9:16 Beyond Calligraphy & Visualizing Rhythm in Poetry and Music
14:03 Designing for Culture & Relationship Between Language and Script
17:44 Breaking the Rules of Calligraphy
22:50 Eras of Arabic Typography
27:20 Legibility vs Aesthetic?
32:40 The Purpose of Higher Education
37:07 Tasmeem Doha 2024 & Recommendations
Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès is a Lebanese typographer, writer, researcher, graphic designer, lecturer, and design consultant from Beirut. She is the is the founder and director of the Khatt Foundation and Khatt Books.
Connect with Huda, the Khatt Foundation or Khatt Books on Instagram
Tasmeem Doha is a biennial international conference that focuses on unique and contemporary themes in art and design. For 2024, the theme of the event was “Under Construction”, which is both a metaphor for creative research as well as a celebration and investigation of transformation. It is also a state that Doha has found itself in for decades: a transformation that has presented an outsized impact on the residents of the city.
Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani
THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK
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