If Not Now, When? was among 20 finalist artworks that were on display at The Art of Resilience exhibition, World... Read More
If Not Now, When? was among 20 finalist artworks that were on
display at The Art of
Resilience exhibition, World Bank headquarter in Washington DC, and
the only one representing the Middle East region. The exhibition was curated
from a global call for entries by the World Bank Art Program and the Global
Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery.
Cities
age just like us.
We tend to think of our cities as robust structures
withstanding natural disasters. In reality, their urban skin is aging,
accelerating the dysfunction of their tissues and maintenance of their normal
functions. In this crumpled abstraction of Beirut, I went skin-deep exploring
one of the oldest cities that, according to a legend, has been demolished and
reconstructed seven times. The three-dimensional fabric traces Beirut’s
dilapidated urban evolution. The drawings show how Beirut’s nucleus has grown
and neighborhoods evolved with a range of economic, urban, social, and cultural
levels which led to a disparity in the nature of the urban fabric, threatening
the disappearance of the city’s unique character and its planning and design
characteristics. Some are orderly, while others are random. Some are in perfect
condition and some are broken into pieces. The markings, the cracks, circles,
squares, and lines symbolize the ’emotional faults’ that Beirut needs to
resolve – from tempering impacts to reducing vulnerabilities and sustaining
political commitment– to survive and thrive against future stresses
and shocks.