Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès is a Beirut born, American-educated graphic designer, typographer, writer and design consultant on projects of cultural relevance. The lecture is focussed on the role of Arabic writing and typography in the development of open public spaces in the contemporary urban context in the Middle East.
She is the founder and director of Khatt Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes design development and research through projects that have proven to be truly innovative. The foundation strives to advance design in the Arab World and the Middle East by building cross-cultural creative networks between East and West.
The symbolic role of Arabic typography as the connector between city, building, and visual culture will be discussed. Smitshuijzen AbiFarès will investigate and argue the importance that text and typography can play in building an engaged and culturally sustainable open public space in the Middle East and elsewhere.