Khatt Chronicles: Stories on Design from the Arab World

afikra
  • 5.0 (12)
  • DESIGN
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY

Khatt Chronicles, in collaboration with afikra, features remarkable designers, illustrators, and researchers from the Arab World, in engaging conversations about their practice, vision, and aspirations. A podcast series that chronicles and introduces the latest explorations in Arab visual communication and material culture.

  1. Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Golnaz Fathi

    JAN 23

    Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Golnaz Fathi

    Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Iranian visual artist Golnaz Fathi, who starts by sharing her educational journey from her initial training as graphic designer and classical calligrapher, to reaching her her final goal of becoming a painter and visual artist. Golnaz explains her love for all kinds of written scripts; her fascination with their shapes, their ways of carrying meaning and emotions. She describes how she managed to merge all her learned creative skills and passions (scripts and painting) into the type of written art she has been creating for decades. She challenged herself to break the rules of calligraphy and write along musical rhythms, like a performer, capturing the essence of writing — writing the "unwritten" that expressed pure emotion. She talks about pushing boundaries, creating cultural bridges and inviting viewers to respond in individual and imaginative ways to her work. She describes her inspirations acquired through art books, and how certain abstract expressionist artists that have had an impact on her way of creating art. She candidly relays the challenges she faced in Iran in having access to modern and international art, and her joy the first time she encountered those artworks physically in a museum. She discusses how music, poetry, and dance are core elements in her work citing as example an exhibition centered around the poetry of the renown Syrian poet Nizar Kabbani. The conversation concludes with talking about her other passions for cooking, enjoying food, hosting friends, and much more. Golnaz Fathi is one the visual artists and graphic women featured in the book "Revealing Recording Reflecting: Graphic Women from Southwest Asia and North Africa" (Amsterdam: Khatt Books, 2024). FOLLOW & RATE KHATT CHRONICLES:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/khatt-chronicles-stories-on-design-from-the-arab-world/id1472975206» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ATH0MwO1tIlBvQfahSLrB» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1014374489THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl5mMJ782dhW6yvfq0E0_HhAABOUT AFIKRAafikra | 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    33 min
  2. Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Hanane Kai

    12/27/2025

    Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Hanane Kai

    Yasmine Nachabe Taan interviews Lebanese illustrator Hanane Kai who shares her journey from studying and working as a graphic designer to the moment she decided to concentrate on illustration work. They discuss her illustration career that began with sketching in the park, to online blogs and social media, eventually leading to award-winning commissioned work. They unpack issues related to her response to upsetting events, through personal political posters, some in collaboration with type designer Kristyan Sarkis. They also discuss her passion for children's books that she collects, diving into her work for children and young adults books. Hanane speaks about the challenges of illustrating children's books especially those addressing difficult social topics and mental health issues. Through the conversation they talk about the Bologna Children's Book Fair and the impact of a visit to this fair on her work as an illustrator, inspiring one of her most experimental and playful illustrated children's book. Hanane explains her process and the importance of research, as well as letting the content dictate the media and style of image-making. Hanane also talks about her latest project, an Arabic erotic dictionary, where she combines the human hand with Arabic letters, collaborating with dancers to capture the right gestures. She concludes this conversation by talking about her need for her projects to be challenging—projects that give her "something to push against" and make her "brain hurt a little." Hanane is one the visual artists and graphic women featured in the book "Revealing Recording Reflecting: Graphic Women from Southwest Asia and North Africa" (Amsterdam: Khatt Books, 2024). FOLLOW & RATE KHATT CHRONICLES:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/khatt-chronicles-stories-on-design-from-the-arab-world/id1472975206» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ATH0MwO1tIlBvQfahSLrB» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1014374489THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl5mMJ782dhW6yvfq0E0_HhAABOUT AFIKRAafikra | 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    28 min
  3. Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Golnar Adili

    11/28/2025

    Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Golnar Adili

    Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Iranian-American visual artist Golnar Adili on her journey from architecture to teaching and practicing visual arts. They discuss her work that transgresses borders and definition and how she uses the Perso-Arabic script and language as material for artistic exploration. Golnar talks about her love for science and art and how architecture brought these two passions together. She also discusses her first research trip to Tehran to investigate (free)inside/(controlled)outside spaces and what these notions represent in that particular cultural context, which was her starting point into becoming an artist. The research is concluded with a book of photographs entitled: "Tehran, A Landscape of Compressed Freedoms." Through the discussion, they unpack the relation between her work, her personal family history and experiences of living in diaspora, and her work as an artist and designer. They further explore these concepts in her other projects delving into her collage techniques and books arts projects. Golnar explains how her heart-language, Persian, plays a central role in her work, taking lyrical Persian poetry and making it contemporary through the design of the letterforms and the use of material. She discusses how gender has informed her work and how it compelled her to express small intimate stories of women (in her family) in her work. In her work she formally manipulates physical and visual material to convey emotions going by the Persian saying: "What comes from the heart, sits on the heart." The conversation is concluded with a brief talk about her teaching at both the Parsons School of Design (with college students) on one hand and children middle-schoolers on the other, and how her teaching assignments relate to her own work and explorations: straddling two and three dimensions, and exploring materials and techniques of image-making.  Golnar Adili is one the visual artists and graphic women featured in the book, Revealing Recording Reflecting: Graphic Women from Southwest Asia and North Africa (Amsterdam: Khatt Books, 2024). FOLLOW & RATE KHATT CHRONICLES:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/khatt-chronicles-stories-on-design-from-the-arab-world/id1472975206» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ATH0MwO1tIlBvQfahSLrB» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1014374489THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl5mMJ782dhW6yvfq0E0_HhAABOUT AFIKRAafikra | 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    41 min
  4. Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Aude Abou Nasr

    11/03/2025

    Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Aude Abou Nasr

    Yasmine Nachabe Taan interviews Beirut-based, French-Lebanese illustrator Aude Abou Nasr. They discuss Aude's educational and professional journey from starting in architecture into illustration and activism. Aude discusses her interest in narratives that address issues of belonging and the strife of migrants (women in particular). She also discusses her passion for projects that address justice and social issues, and her commissions and collaborations with various artists and organizations. Together they unpack her creative process, her creative commitments, and the challenges of making a living as an illustrator. Aude speaks about her collaboration with the architectural collectives representing Lebanon in the Venice Architectural Biennale, weaving stories of nature and politics. She expresses her concerns about not having enough time to execute her work properly, to reflect and explore at a slower pace. She concludes with stressing on the importance of collaboration and collective support within the creative community. FOLLOW & RATE KHATT CHRONICLES:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/khatt-chronicles-stories-on-design-from-the-arab-world/id1472975206» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ATH0MwO1tIlBvQfahSLrB» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1014374489THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl5mMJ782dhW6yvfq0E0_HhAABOUT AFIKRAafikra | 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    35 min
  5. Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Ghazal Foroutan

    10/03/2025

    Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Ghazal Foroutan

    Roshanak Keyghobadi interviews Iranian California-based graphic designer and illustrator Ghazal Foroutan. They discuss Ghazal's journey as a designer, her educational stages, and her impactful first professional experience at Studio Shizaru in Tehran. Ghazal discusses her interest in design research and design history that developed during her postgraduate studies in the US. She mentions that her design history education (both in Iran and the U.S.) was male-centric, and expresses her gratitude to contemporary platforms, such as Khatt Chronicles and Women Iranian Designers, for broadening her knowledge and providing information about women role models. As a woman growing up in Iran, she experienced challenges that made her want to work on projects that advocated for (Iranian) women's rights and equality. She discusses her cultural engagement and political activism through her personal design projects. Ghazal discusses her design process and her passion for the risography technique and how she employs it for her "passion projects"—personal prints, editorial work, and publications. She shares her challenges of balancing teaching, personal project, and paid design commissions. The conversation ends with a discussion about the future of design: AI and responsible innovation, and adaptability to the complex media and communications landscape. Ghazal believes that we need to see design not just as a service but rather as a way to shape culture and create a culture of solidarity. Ghazal Foroutan is one the designers featured in the book, Revealing Recording Reflecting: Graphic Women from Southwest Asia and North Africa (Amsterdam: Khatt Books, 2024). FOLLOW & RATE KHATT CHRONICLES:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/khatt-chronicles-stories-on-design-from-the-arab-world/id1472975206» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ATH0MwO1tIlBvQfahSLrB» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1014374489THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl5mMJ782dhW6yvfq0E0_HhAABOUT AFIKRAafikra | 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    36 min
  6. Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Bahia Shehab

    09/05/2025

    Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Bahia Shehab

    Yara Khoury Nammour interviews Cairo-based Lebanese designer and visual artist Bahia Shehab. They discuss Shehab's motivation and journey as a designer and educator. Shehab delves into political engagement, the importance of portraying an authentic image of Arab/Islamic visual heritage in order to decolonize design history discourse. They discuss her influences and how her educational development has shaped her perspective on design. Shehab elaborates on her artistic practice, her academic research, and her publications: A Thousand Times No, Art the Corner of a Dream, You Can Crush the Flowers, History of Arab Graphic Design, Revealing Recording Reflecting, and an upcoming publication on vernacular culture and advertising. They discuss the challenges for knowledge creation and dissemination in the Arab world: starting with the obstacles that hinder collection, documentation, and preservation of material. They conclude the conversation with the idea that change comes in a collective effort of certain generation and time period, and that maybe this is the moment to establish an Arab graphic design museum in the region. Bahia Shehab was co-editor of the book, Revealing Recording Reflecting: Graphic Women from Southwest Asia and North Africa (Amsterdam: Khatt Books, 2024), and her work is also featured in it. FOLLOW & RATE KHATT CHRONICLES:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/khatt-chronicles-stories-on-design-from-the-arab-world/id1472975206» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ATH0MwO1tIlBvQfahSLrB» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1014374489THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl5mMJ782dhW6yvfq0E0_HhAABOUT AFIKRAafikra | 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

    24 min
  7. Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Dima Nachawi

    08/08/2025

    Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Dima Nachawi

    Yasmine Nachabe Taan interviews Beirut-based Syrian visual storyteller and illustrator Dima Nachawi. They discuss her professional journey, education, and projects. Dima shares her passion for making people laugh, clowning, drawing, singing, performing, shadow puppetry, and street theater. Her multidisciplinary practice is connected to her Syrian roots through which she documents and advocates for social causes and injustices.  Together they unpack some of the political narratives behind her projects, and discuss how humor can help circumvent censorship and oppression. They also discuss the importance of female figures with long flowing hair in her illustrations; how they symbolize homelands, freedom, strength, and resilience; and how they are often a part of the cityscape or of trees, rooted in nature, and holding their ground.  Dima Nachawi's work is featured in the book, Revealing Recording Reflecting: Graphic Women from Southwest Asia and North Africa (Amsterdam: Khatt Books, 2024). FOLLOW & RATE KHATT CHRONICLES:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/khatt-chronicles-stories-on-design-from-the-arab-world/id1472975206» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ATH0MwO1tIlBvQfahSLrB» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1014374489THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl5mMJ782dhW6yvfq0E0_HhAABOUT AFIKRAafikra | 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

    35 min
  8. Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Kinda Ghannoum

    07/11/2025

    Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Kinda Ghannoum

    Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Brussels-based, Syrian-Polish designer Kinda Ghannoum. They discuss her journey into the field of design, through practical work following her graduation with a degree in architecture from the University of Damascus. Kinda shares her travails as a self-taught graphic designer and her passion for the Arabic script, lettering and typography. The conversation centers around issues of preservation of identity while saddling two nationalities, and of providing educational resources to design students in Syria and preserving Syrian design history, as well as what it means to be practicing in a diasporic context. A number of Kinda's remarkable projects are discussed starting with her seminal archival project, The Syrian Design Archive, that she set up with two friends – Sally Alassafen and Hala Al Afsaa – in 2020 during her postgraduate studies in Belgium. Kinda also discusses some of her other significant projects where cultural advocacy and collaboration was at the core. What transpires from this conversation is an image of a courageous and dedicated woman designer that breaks any stereotypes of women from the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region. Kinda's work is featured in the book "Revealing Recording Reflecting: Graphic Women from Southwest Asia and North Africa" (Amsterdam: Khatt Books, 2024). FOLLOW & RATE KHATT CHRONICLES:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/khatt-chronicles-stories-on-design-from-the-arab-world/id1472975206» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ATH0MwO1tIlBvQfahSLrB» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1014374489THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl5mMJ782dhW6yvfq0E0_HhAABOUT AFIKRAafikra | 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

    43 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Khatt Chronicles, in collaboration with afikra, features remarkable designers, illustrators, and researchers from the Arab World, in engaging conversations about their practice, vision, and aspirations. A podcast series that chronicles and introduces the latest explorations in Arab visual communication and material culture.

Information

  • Creator
    afikra
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2022-2024 - Khatt Foundation | afikra - عفكرة Podcasts / afikra LLC

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