Elias and Yousef Anastas
Born into a family of architects, Elias and Yousef Anastas graduated from Paris with Masters in Architecture and both worked there for a while. Elias returned to Bethlehem after winning a competition for a music conservatory while Yousef graduated from Paris with a second Masters in Structural engineering.
They founded Local Industries in 2012, a community of bold artisans and designers dedicated to industrial furniture-making, and SCALES in 2016, a research department that is constantly enhanced by linking scales that are usually opposed. Their studio’s work brings together architecture practices, furniture making, research projects and cultural initiatives.
Their most recent works include All Purpose, an installation for the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale, Radio alHara – a community based online radio, the Hebron courthouse project, and Stonematters – an experimentation-based research onto the possibilities of stone use in contemporary architecture.
They are also about to launch The Wonder Cabinet in Bethlehem, a cultural endeavour to create an art production platform bringing together artisans and artists.