Travelers and Their Tales.
The 25th edition. The Silver Jubilee. The Sharjah International Narrator Forum asked for a contemporary cultural experience rooted in heritage. The theme drew from three historic narrators: Ibn Battuta, Ibn Majid, and Ibn Fadlan. Three pillars anchored the creative: Tradition, Travel, Tales.
The direction was to reimagine narration as a physical journey. Visitors didn't just hear stories. They moved through them. Immersive scenography, symbolic installations, curated light, and intentional visitor flow turned the venue into a living narrative. The visual identity was built around a handwritten isologo inspired by the compass, the astrolabe, and historic Islamic maps, with color schemes drawn from manuscripts and artifacts across the Islamic world.
Translate the Silver Jubilee theme into a contemporary cultural experience. The space needed to serve storytelling sessions, a 270-degree immersive cinema, and interactive installations, all within a cohesive narrative honoring 25 years of the forum.
Reimagined narration as a physical journey. Every zone was designed as a chapter. From the entrance globe installation to the storytelling poufs to the immersive cinema, each space carried the visitor deeper into the narrative.
Audiences experienced heritage as a living story, not an exhibition. The 270-degree cinema became the emotional centerpiece. The globe installation with Arabic calligraphy became the visual icon of the forum.
From Render to Reality.
The design language was warm, grounded, and contemporary. Wood, linen, and soft lighting created a space that felt intimate at scale. Every seating arrangement, sightline, and material choice served the storytelling.
Built. Lived. Remembered.
The space came alive with storytellers, audiences, and the ambient hum of a culture being passed forward. Moroccan poufs replaced theatre seating. Handwoven rugs replaced flooring. The Ibn Battuta globe, three meters tall with illuminated Arabic calligraphy, became the icon of the forum.
See It Move.
Stories of Ibn Majid, Ibn Fadlan & Ibn Battuta.
A 270-degree immersive cinema experience was designed as the emotional heart of the forum. Three historic narrators, Ibn Majid, Ibn Fadlan, and Ibn Battuta, were brought to life through cinematic storytelling that wrapped around the audience, placing them inside the journey.