Where Do Swans Come From? South-East Beirut
Where Do Swans Come From? is comprised of three sub-series : South-East Beirut, Bekaa Valley and Along the Beirut River. Following the end of the civil war, Lebanon was divided by many invisible boundaries and deeper segregation.
This series is a multi-layered representation of youth living with the legacy of conflict within Christian, Muslim and Armenian communities. South-East Beirut focuses on a Christian community in the area of Kfarchima.
Terasse at Night
Site of Violence, Ain El Rammanneh
The Ain El Rammaneh Incident or the Bus Massacre is commonly remembered as the spark that set off the Lebanese Civil War in 1975. This bloody incident incited long -standing sectarian hatred and mistrust between Christian and Palestinian/Muslim communities.
It resulted in 300 deaths in 3 days.
The civil war that ensued raged for 15 years resulting in more than 120 000 deaths and an exodus of over a million. There has been many more wars and occupations since then even though 1990 was supposed to mark the end of war.
Mantelpiece
Nisrine with her Pet Rabbit
Postcard of Baalbeck, Roman Temple
The Abi-Nasr House
Downtown Beirut
Shelter
During the many wars, most families had to spend days, sometimes months in makeshift shelters often with little light, water or electricity.
Usually, it would be a windowless room, either the bathroom or basement, with the least exposed walls to oncoming bullets and rockets.
Rita in Pine Wood
Road to Kfarchima
Kfarchima (Arabic: كفرشيما), in South-East Beirut, is mainly populated by Christians, Maronites (Arabic:كنيسة الملكيين ) and Melkite Greek Catholics (Arabic: كنيسة الملكيين ).
Both Maronites and Melkites can trace their history to the early Church of Antioch, in the 1st century AD, when Christianity was introduced by Saint Peter.
As it was on a primary 'faultline', the town was heavily bombed during the civil war.
Kitchen Corner
Marie-Christelle, Legion de Marie
Woodlark
Lebanon is on an important bird migration route when birds migrate South to spend the winter in Africa.
The Woodlark (Lullula arborea) is one such bird with a melodious warbling song that favours heathland and clearings in pine forests.
Eddy
Gaelle
Postcard of Beirut - 'La Dolce Vita'
Vagrant
In addition to the complex mix of ethnic, religious and cultural demographics in Lebanon dating back to 6000 years, there is a substantial number of stateless persons coming from as far as Ethiopia and South-East Asia as well as many thousands of Palestinian and Syrian refugees.
Damaged Wall
Shrine on Road
View of East Beirut
Elie
Poster and Icons in Coffee-Shop
Postcard of the Ottoman Serail
Following 400 years of rule over Lebanon, the Ottoman Empire was partitioned following World War I leading to the rise in the 'Middle East' of Western powers. It is widely believed that the continuous instability and violence in that part of the world stem from decisions imposed by the colonial powers made at this point in history.
TV and Shrine
Sandra
This series consists of a large 'archive' of digital photographs, scanned archival material and texts with sizes ranging from A6 to A1. As an 'archive', it can be adapted and reconfigured to any space and a booklet with all texts and captions would be made available for viewers.
This studio installation shot shows a possible display although for an exhibition the scale would be increased.
Display in Studio (small-scale example)