When we collaborated with the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, it quickly became clear that it wouldn't just be about a single object. We were interested in the question of how Arabic script could be displayed across various levels: in public spaces, in exhibition contexts, in fashion, and in creative staging. This is precisely where the strength of this collaboration lay for us.
This was first visible on the facade of the MK&G. There, a large-format banner was displayed, on which "Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, Habibi" was written in Arabic script. The work was created as part of "Inspiration SWANA" and, together with the museum, made a conscious statement for visibility and a positive perception of Arabic script in urban spaces. For us, this banner was not only a creative intervention but also an invitation to read script differently: not as a projection, but as part of public life, culture, and the present.
At the same time, our work was not limited to the facade. As part of "Inspiration SWANA," we also had an interactive artistic position in the exhibition. The MK&G describes our work there as a playful approach to the Arabic alphabet — and that was precisely what we aimed for in our own design approach. The exhibition itself marks a new perspective on the museum's SWANA collection and brings historical and contemporary positions into a lively dialogue.
For our installation, we worked with lenticular technology and drew inspiration from the logic of a children's ABC book. Through motif, letter, word, and word composition, we wanted to develop a form that creates approachability. Our aim was not to explain Arabic script as something foreign, but to make it so accessible that one could approach it visually, playfully, and intuitively. Especially in a cultural context like this, design interests us most when it not only shows but also creates connections.
The collaboration also included a partnership involving two clothing items that carried the project beyond the exhibition space. The products were not intended as mere merchandise, but as an extension of the idea: design that can move, be worn, and reach new contexts. The fact that the items were available in both our online shop and the museum shop continued this connection between brand, institution, and audience in a natural way.
The staging was also part of the project. The photo shoot in the museum's Hall of Mirrors gave the collaboration its own visual dimension. In addition, our pop-up during the vernissage of "Inspiration SWANA" allowed the work to enter into immediate exchange with visitors, the space, and the situation. Thus, something emerged around the collaboration that for us was more than a single contribution: an interplay of design, attitude, space, and encounter.
For us, this project very clearly shows how we work at Habibi. We understand script not just as a graphic element, but as a carrier of perception, memory, representation, and new legibility. If this results in works that function simultaneously on a facade, in an exhibition, in clothing, and in a campaign, then that is precisely the space that interests us: one where design is not just a surface, but can create cultural closeness.
