Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Lara Assouad

Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Lara Assouad

Author: afikra February 1, 2024 Duration: 43:19

Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Dubai-based Lebanese graphic and type designer @laraassouad. Together they discuss her journey into type design and her other passions and side practices such as book-binding, leather accessories, and pottery.

The conversation focuses on Lara's trendsetting work in developing modular Arabic scripts that go beyond type design and practical graphic design application, claiming a place in the contemporary art world.

She revisits the ubiquitous applications of the Arabic script to various media – a common practice in the traditional Islamic arts – and brings this into today's art and design practice. She candidly discusses her fascination with the various and diverse Kufi scripts describing them as elegant, mysterious and easily adaptable to contemporary minimalist design, for which she has great personal affinity. 

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THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK

The afikra Podcast is our flagship series featuring experts from academia, art, media and beyond who are helping document and/or shape the histories and cultures of the Arab world through their ‎work. Our hope is that by having the guest share their expertise and story, the community walks away with a new ‎found curiosity and maybe some good recommendations about new nerdy rabbit holes to dive into head first. ‎

Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl5xaTkBDrUKLCulvoCE8ubX

ABOUT AFIKRA

afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.

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THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK
Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl5mMJ782dhW6yvfq0E0_HhA

ABOUT AFIKRA
afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.
📍 Local events in 40+ locations worldwide http://afikra.com/chapters
🎧 New podcasts + videos weekly http://afikra.com/podcasts
⚡ Become a member: https://www.afikra.com/membership
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afikra_
🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afikra.official
🔗 Twitter: https://twitter.com/afikra


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Khatt Chronicles: Stories on Design from the Arab World is a series of dialogues that pull back the curtain on creative processes often overlooked in global design narratives. Produced in collaboration with afikra, each episode sits down with a different practitioner-be it a typeface designer reimagining Arabic letterforms, an illustrator weaving social commentary into their work, or a researcher digging into historical patterns and contemporary craft. These aren't formal interviews, but more like candid conversations that delve into the guest's personal journey, the challenges and inspirations specific to their context, and their hopes for the future of visual culture in the region. When you listen to this podcast, you're hearing firsthand accounts of how ideas move from sketchbook to reality, how tradition converses with modern technology, and what it means to build a creative practice rooted in the Arab World. The discussions naturally cover everything from the intricacies of book design and street art to the philosophy behind material choices and color palettes. Khatt Chronicles serves as an oral archive, chronicling the vibrant and evolving scene of Arab visual communication, one story at a time. It’s for anyone curious about the stories behind the objects, images, and letters that shape our visual environment, offering a nuanced perspective directly from the minds that are shaping it.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Khatt Chronicles: Stories on Design from the Arab World
Podcast Episodes
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Mitra Shasavand [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:45
In this episode of Khatt Chronicles, Roshanak Keyghobadi interviews Iranian designer Mitra Shahsavand, design director and founder of the Mitra Shahsavand Design Studio. They discuss Mitra's journey into the field of gra…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Aria Kasaei [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:32
In this episode of Khatt Chronicles, Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Iranian designer Aria Kasaei, who co-founded Studio Kargah with his classmate and friend Peyman Pourhossein. They discuss his journey into the fi…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Sahar Khraibani [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:49
In this episode of Khatt Chronicles, Yasmine Nachabe Taan interviews Lebanese design writer and critic, Sahar Khraibani. They discuss her journey into the field of design writing through graphic design and illustration.…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Amir Mahdi Moslehi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:18
In this episode of Khatt Chronicles, Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Iranian type designer and researcher Amir Mahdi Moslehi. They discuss his journey into calligraphy and type design. Moslehi discusses his extensi…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Nisrine Sarkis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:42
Yara Khoury Nammour interviews Beirut-based Lebanese designer Nisrine Sarkis. They discuss her journey into the world of branding and lettering. Focusing initially on illustration and graphic design, Nisrine gradually re…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Nora Zeid [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:15
In this episode of the Khatt Chronicles podcast, Yasmine Nachabe Taan interviews Dubai-based Egyptian illustrator and comics artist Nora Zeid. They discuss her journey into the field of graphic novels and comics through…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Wissam Shawkat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:27
Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Dubai-based Iraqi calligrapher and designer Wissam Shawkat. They discuss his journey into calligraphy and graphic design starting from his teenage years as a student in Iraq to his m…
Khatt Chronicles Hosts Introducing Season 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:11
The Khatt Chronicles podcast is back in a third season! Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès moderates a conversation between the hosts of Season 3. The discussion addressed the several topics and themes that are planned for this…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Lara Balaa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:38
Yara Khoury Nammour interviews Lara Balaa, Lebanese editorial designer and PhD Candidate at Rutgers School of Communication and Information. They discuss Balaa's journey into becoming a graphic designer, and her fascinat…