Calligraphy benches
The collaboration between celebrated architect Asif Khan and innovative Arabic typographer Lara Captan turns crowdsourced words into usable works of art.
The poetic language of Arabic will become stunning physical artistic forms at Expo 2020 via a series of engaging calligraphy-inspired benches that its creators say will wrap the 4.38 sqkm site ‘like a poem’.
Aerial view of a calligraphy benchExpo 2020 Dubai
The 50 benches, to be spread across the site’s Thematic Districts, are the result of a collaboration between celebrated British architect Asif Khan and innovative Amsterdam-based Arabic typographer Lara Captan to turn crowdsourced words into usable works of art.
The benches expertly mix form and function: as well as providing places where visitors can pause and take in the many wonders of the event, each design spells out a meaningful word in three-dimensional calligraphy-inspired Arabic script.
Calligraphy benches at Mangrove Avenue (2021)Expo 2020 Dubai
The words for the benches were originally crowdsourced via Expo 2020’s social media users, who were asked to select words that, to them, best represent Expo, its subthemes (Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability) and the UAE.
Those words were then refined with a group of 30 young Emirati professionals, who made the final selection and decided where the script-based benches should be located on site.
BlessingExpo 2020 Dubai
Blessing
Building the human beingExpo 2020 Dubai
Building the human being
CollaborationExpo 2020 Dubai
Collaboration
ConnectionExpo 2020 Dubai
Connection
CultureExpo 2020 Dubai
Culture
DeterminationExpo 2020 Dubai
Determination
DignityExpo 2020 Dubai
Dignity
ExistenceExpo 2020 Dubai
Existence
FirmnessExpo 2020 Dubai
Firmness
ForgivenessExpo 2020 Dubai
Forgiveness
FriendshipExpo 2020 Dubai
Friendship
GenerosityExpo 2020 Dubai
Generosity
GivingExpo 2020 Dubai
Giving
GoodwillExpo 2020 Dubai
Goodwill
Happiness 2Expo 2020 Dubai
Happiness
Hope 2Expo 2020 Dubai
Hope
HumanityExpo 2020 Dubai
Humanity
InnovationExpo 2020 Dubai
Innovation
KnowledgeExpo 2020 Dubai
Knowledge
Love 2Expo 2020 Dubai
Love
OptimismExpo 2020 Dubai
Optimism
PartnershipExpo 2020 Dubai
Partnership
Peace 2Expo 2020 Dubai
Peace
RespectExpo 2020 Dubai
Respect
SafetyExpo 2020 Dubai
Safety
SecurityExpo 2020 Dubai
Security
SuccessExpo 2020 Dubai
Success
FAZAA supportExpo 2020 Dubai
Support
UnionExpo 2020 Dubai
Union
VictoryExpo 2020 Dubai
Victory
VisionExpo 2020 Dubai
Vision
Will PowerExpo 2020 Dubai
Will power
WisdomExpo 2020 Dubai
Wisdom
