Calligraphy benches

The collaboration between celebrated architect Asif Khan and innovative Arabic typographer Lara Captan turns crowdsourced words into usable works of art.

Calligraphy benches at Mangrove Avenue (2021)Expo 2020 Dubai

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.

Visitors at Sunset at Expo 2020 Dubai (2021)Expo 2020 Dubai

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

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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