ruins of the present
Born and raised in Lebanon; a country plagued by war, tensions, instability, and crises, I’ve noticed that the common denominator of all these events are the ruins. Often they are of destroyed or unfinished buildings found all over the country. These ruins become a representation of the political, economic, and social realities of the place and a reflection of people’s attitudes toward the future. As ruins are a byproduct of events that have happened and are still happening, the future is held captive by the past. And so, on the ruins of the immobile present, ordinary life tries to continue its existence.
Beirut during the civil war, 1975–1990
War with Israel, 12 July 2006–14 August 2006
Beirut after the port explosion, 4 August 2020
Ancient ruins often reveal the history, social and class structures, belief systems, cultural landscapes, and philosophies of past civilizations. Modern ruins tell the story of the present. With the permanent crisis in the world today, the situation can be described as apocalyptic, so ruins are a symptom of today’s civilization. Nevertheless, life continues on the ruins, but takes on a distorted form.
Sculptures — ruins of the present
This project seeks to transform ruins into elements of the daily routine. It is a commentary on how we exist in such difficult conditions. The sculptures are an interaction between fragments of ruins and objects used in everyday life. The collected debris mainly from construction sites are given functionality by being turned into domestic devices.
The sculptures are composed in such a way that they can collapse at any time, to remind us of the fragility and instability of the apocalyptic situation in which we live today.
Installation — sleeping on the ruins
In the installation, images of Beirut’s unnoticed and forgotten ruins are taken from Google maps. The images are then printed onto bed sheets, covers and pillow cases. The bedding is overly washed and repeatedly used to a point where the vitality of the print is lost. This signifies the forced normalization of harsh circumstances and the effect it creates.
3D visualization
