A devastating explosion took place in Beirut on August 4, 2020. One heavily affected neighborhood, Gemmayzeh, is where my family lives. Close to the epicenter of the blast, buildings crumbled and collapsed from the force. Many people, harmed and unharmed alike, immediately began the process of cleaning and rebuilding. However many of the harrowing ruins remain present until today.
In my daily life, I would encounter many of the same faces and people from the afflicted neighborhood. All of them banded together to quickly and meticulously repair their homes and shops; in hopes of regaining some inkling of normalcy in their everyday lives. Their efforts echoed by a phrase once said to me by a taxi driver: “Stones can be rebuilt into houses faster than people can rebuild their lives.”
Through this series of five interviews, I question: How are people feeling after all of this loss and devastation? What are their resentments and traumas?
Commissioned by Beirut Art Residency