Discussions & Workshops at LAU
An afternoon bringing together different creative voices and perspectives through conversations, discussions, debates, student showcases, and hands-on workshops, all centered around Empathy by Design and designed for students.
Roundtable Discussions Lineup:
Session 1 | 2:10 PM – 3:10 PM
The Shape of Feeling: Creative Practice Across the Senses
Moderator: Lina Khoury, Theatre Director, Producer, and Academician
Speakers:
Carol Mansour, Filmmaker
Maya Zbib, Theatre Director, Performer, Writer - Co-artistic Director or Zoukak Theatre
Mazen Kiwan, Dancer and Choreographer
Session 2 | 3:10 – 4:10 PM
The City Remembers: Trauma, Recovery, and Beirut’s Future
Moderator: Dima Stouhi, Architect, Researcher, and Curator
Speakers:
Samar Hawa, Project & Development Manager at Rebirth Beirut
Soha Mneimneh, Urban Planner and Researcher at the Beirut Urban Lab
Khaled Nasser, PhD, Family Communication and Trauma Consultant
Session 3 | 4:40 PM – 5:40 PM
Still Human: Empathy and the Future of Design
Moderator:
Rana Salam, Art Director
Speakers:
Nathalie Fallaha, Branding & UxUi Expert
Sinan Abou Hamdan, AI Expert
Adam Jammal,Filmmaker & Creative Director
Miquel Lacasta, Chair of Architecture and Interior Design at LAU
Workshops | 5:40 PM – 6:40 PM
1. Useful AI for Creative People: How to Do Less and Create More
Facilitator: Sinan Abou Hamdan, AI Expert
A hands-on session on using AI to cut down admin and non-creative tasks, freeing up time and energy for the work that matters plus how to use AI to shape ideas from concept to execution without losing your creative voice.
2. From Ideas to Creation: An Introduction to Devised Theatre
Facilitator: Maya Zbib,Theatre Director, Performer, Writer - Co-artistic Director or Zoukak Theatre
A practical introduction to devised theatre , creating performance material from scratch through collective writing, improvisation, and simple scene-building exercises.
3. How Trauma Speaks
Facilitator: Carla Oannis Rached, Clinical psychologist and Compassionate Inquiry Therapist
A grounded look at what trauma is and how it shapes us — how it lives in the body, how early beliefs shape self-treatment, and how understanding our inner "parts" can open a path toward healing.
4. Inherited / Invented
Facilitator: Stephany Sanossian, Artist
An exploration of memory, identity, and personal experience as creative language participants develop their own personal phrase or visual statement drawn from what they carry with them.