Admire the works of talented designers from ‘Majal’, Al Riwaq Art Space’s design incubation programme, as they showcase their pieces at the gallery’s latest exhibition.

A skilled designer is not just a creator but also a storyteller who activates our imagination by bringing histories, traditions and practices back to our contemporary landscape. When narratives are carefully utilised within a multidisciplinary design practice, they open up diverse interpretations and an innovative problem-solving approach, all carefully embedded in the designed objects, tools and activities.

Following the conclusion of the second edition of Majal, the works of the participating designers are being showcased in an exhibition titled, Majal: Design as Storytelling, which will run until October 31 at the Al Riwaq Art Space in Gufool. The designers’ creations are rooted in storytelling practices and focus on collecting narratives and preservation of oral histories, related to land, identity, culture and heritage.

At the recent Majal 2 Design Incubator, participants embarked on a journey to unearth local narratives, reflecting on their significance for both individual and collective history, while addressing the needs of their dearest community members and co-habitants. The issues faced by local communities are echoed across the globe and in this design thinking journey, participants questioned, interviewed, investigated, prototyped and tested numerous ideations to get closer to understanding these issues of social and environmental concern.

Strategic collaborations were formed with generations – old Bahraini craftsmen, including boat makers, textile and basket weavers and local clay potters – with the aim of reviving these valuable community techniques.

Each participating designer in the exhibition poses critical questions that challenge our perspectives. Ultimately, the message of Majal is clear– design is not merely about aesthetics or functionality, it is a medium for storytelling that connects us to our roots, while guiding us towards a preferable future. It manages all this, while still honouring the history so deeply contained within us.

Curated by Yana Dimitrova and Maryam Khaled Al Khalifa, the exhibition showcases the work of talented artists, including Waleed Alfadhel, Deema Al Tharman, Saryeh Al Rumaihi, Sumana Buhasan, Aysha Abdulqader, Fatema Yusuf, Yasmeen Al Rumaidh, Hasan Albasri, Maryam Humood Al Khalifa and Huda Aldaqaq.✤

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