Jordanian jewellery designer Lama Hourani talks about relocating to Shanghai.
Tell us about being named a Young Global Leader (YGL) in 2012 by the World Economic Forum. “I was thrilled to be a YGL, especially coming from the design industry in the Middle East. For 15 years, we have trained and employed underprivileged men and women in Jordan to [help them] better their future financially and creatively.”
How has it been relocating from the Middle East, where you are well known, to Shanghai? “I have lived in Milan, Barcelona and now Shanghai, so I’m used to new markets. It’s been a delightful experience to constantly reinvent yourself based on the market you’re in. It humbles you and enriches your imagination. China is a huge discovery for me – being culturally curious I enjoy immersing myself in a new culture. I take photographs during my trips to document my most-loved moments, which are later translated into sketches for jewellery collections.”
How does your homeland influence your designs? “Jordan and the Middle East’s heritage is filled with jewellery. I started my design journey in Jordan and now, having over 40 collections with diverse inspirations, I feel my pieces are hybrids of so many voyages, cultures and forms of art. Into every piece I’ve incorporated prehistoric art, which I discovered on a trip to the Jordanian desert. This form of art connects the whole world as it existed before languages and ethnicity, which, unfortunately, separate human beings nowadays.”
You grew up with creative parents. What did they teach you? “My parents opened my eyes to art. Prior to opening the first private art gallery in Amman in the 1990s, they collected art, and they nurtured my creativity and dedicated every minute to guiding me through my artistic journey; I was raised with artists – our normal weekend would be spent in the studio, painting.”