Xena Kalouti is an architect-designer based in Jordan.

Her design process draws inspiration from reflection into questions about identity’s malleable manifestations through different times, crafts, and places.

Her intellectual inquiry into local heritage is guided by ritualized uses of materials in the past and present and the materials’ transformative capacities for creating atmospheres. Most importantly, the designed products evoke a visual understanding of how they are made, celebrating and regenerating historical traditional crafts where art and artisanship unite and meanings of pride and joy not only emanate from abstracted visual forms but the skills and craftsmanship of their makers. The intellectual inquiry is complemented by Xena’s personal experiences that accrued from her interactions with people from different generations and places along with her inner affinity to understanding the effect of nostalgia in shaping our sense of identity.

With this, a sentimental journey begins.