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Memory Shells: Reconnecting Lebanese Post-War Generations to Lost National Belonging and Memory
Memory Shells: Reconnecting Lebanese Post-War Generations to Lost National Belonging and Memory
Even after the end of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), the symbolic divisions established by military barricades remained in Lebanon's architectural, political, and social landscapes. The lack of a comprehensive and holistic approach to collective memory and the government's failure to engage in a national dialogue has hindered Lebanon's progress towards reconciliation - fostering a climate of unresolved grievances, mistrust, and sectarian narratives.
These unresolved tensions have reinforced the degradation of Lebanese society along sectarian and religious divisions to this day, overshadowing the Lebanese national identity.
The October 2019 Uprising however marked an unprecedented moment of national unity in which people came together regardless of political or religious affiliations. Leveraging the feelings of cross-sectarian unity brought on by the October 2019 Uprising, ‘Memory Shells’ offers a means of reconnecting post-war younger generations to lost national belonging in the hope of constructing collective memory in the long term.
The October 2019 Uprising however marked an unprecedented moment of national unity in which people came together regardless of political or religious affiliations. Leveraging the feelings of cross-sectarian unity brought on by the October 2019 Uprising, ‘Memory Shells’ offers a means of reconnecting post-war younger generations to lost national belonging in the hope of constructing collective memory in the long term.
Located on the former Green Line that separated Muslim West from Christian East Beirut, the Egg, an abandoned cinema, was a strategic occupation point for snipers during the conflict. During the five months of the October 2019 protests, the Egg was reappropriated and re-programmed by protesters, transforming it from a ruined abandoned structure to a vibrant social hub.
With its symbolic and historical significance to the Lebanese people and with several threats to its existence, the Egg (also known as ‘the Dome’) has rebirthed into a symbol of resistance, revolution, and reclamation in Beirut - therefore making it the ideal platform for reconnecting post-war generations to lost traditional crafts and memories, reclaiming national cultural tools.
By rehabilitating the Egg, “Memory Shells” aims to reimagine it as a place for intercommunal interactions and heritage preservation to facilitate collective memory rebuilding in the long term.
With its symbolic and historical significance to the Lebanese people and with several threats to its existence, the Egg (also known as ‘the Dome’) has rebirthed into a symbol of resistance, revolution, and reclamation in Beirut - therefore making it the ideal platform for reconnecting post-war generations to lost traditional crafts and memories, reclaiming national cultural tools.
By rehabilitating the Egg, “Memory Shells” aims to reimagine it as a place for intercommunal interactions and heritage preservation to facilitate collective memory rebuilding in the long term.
