- Neuerscheinungen
- Zeitschriften
- Parachute
Betreff:
PARACHUTE - Datum:
Wed, 9 Oct 2002 00:59:02 -0700
- Von:
"e-Flux" <info@e-flux.com>
PARACHUTE
#108 - Beirut
- a pivotal city between contemporary art
- and
the Arab world
Montreal,
October 8, 2002 - PARACHUTE is launching its latest issue, devoted - to
"Beirut" in Montreal at the Canadian Centre for Architecture
on the 10th of
- October
at 7:00 p.m. This event underscores PARACHUTE's ambition to further
- develop
its interest in Beirut and the Arab world, and to pursue the dynamics
- of
exchange initiated in this issue. Chantal Pontbriand, the magazine's editor
- in
chief, will present the issue to the public on this occasion. The presentation
- itself
will be followed by a conference given by architects from the Lebanese,
- New-York-based
group L.E.FT. The Canadian Centre for Architecture is or-
- ganising
and presenting this event in the framework of its Thursday night dis-
- cussions
held during the debate series, "Opinions".
This
issue is part of PARACHUTE's ongoing series devoted, once a year, to - those
cities in the world where a confluence of intellectual and artistic activities
- are
fostering new developments in artistic practices, transforming established
- dynamics,
indicating new paths for understanding the current context and de -
- tecting
future shifts. This issue's goal is to identify the different characteristics,
- trends
and players - both intellectuals and artists - in order to better grasp
what
- is
at stake in the given context. The first issue of the series, devoted to
Mexico
- City
(autumn 2001), has been a resounding success.
In
light of the current conjuncture, it strikes us as crucial to turn toward
the Arab - world
and investigate the new conditions and artistic practices that are manifest
- there.
Beirut is emblematic in this regard, given its multicultural, multi-denomina-
- tional
makeup, caught between war and peace, grappling with problems of ter-
- ritoriality
and multiple identity. The city of Beirut has emerged as a cultural hub,
- fostering
an artistic context able to engender a critique of a modernist vision of
- history,
with its cleavages between past and present, history and the future, the
- local
and the global. In this political and social context, the city has become
a fo-
- cal
point in art for the expression of such a critique, informed by writing,
the
- image,
urban space, questions of agency, daily life, concepts of change, friend-
- ship
and exchange.
The
issue itself deals with the specific artistic practices developed by artists
living - in
Beirut - as well as others from the Lebanese diaspora - including Walid
Sadek,
- Akram
Zaatari, Mohamad Soueid, Mahmoud Hojeij, Michel Lasserre and Paola Ya-
- coub,
Walid Ra'ad, Bilal Khbeiz, Rabih Mroué, Tony Chakar, Jayce Salloum
and
- Mona
Hatoum. Several of these artists have themselves contributed texts, as
- writing
- like video - is one of the preferred media for many artists working in
Beirut.
- Solid
ties link these artists whose practices and ideas have created a mutually
re-
- inforcing
dynamic. Though architectural issues can be discerned in many Beirut-
- based
practices, it is more specifically dealt with here in A. Hashim Sarkis'
text, and
- the
project developed by L.E.FT and Amale Andraos. The issue includes a project
by
- Gilbert
Boyer, a Montreal-based artist, closely interested in Beirut's urban setting.
- Organisations
and intellectuals who have played a key role in structuring Beirut's
- cultural
context - including the Arab Image Foundation, the Ashkal Alwan Association,
- the
Ayoul Festival, as well as Elias Khoury, Hazim Saghie and Hoda Barakat
- are
- also
featured.
Amale
Andraos and the founders of group L.E.FT, Naji Moujaes, Makram, El-Kadi
- and
Ziad Jamaleddine are international Lebanese architects. Working along with
- Rem
Koolhaas and Steven Holl among others, they collaborated here to create
a
- project
for the Beirut issue. Choosing the form of fictional postcards, these ar-
- chitects
propose to bring forth and reflect on cultural and political issues specific
- to
the city. The conference is held in English.
PARACHUTE
is also launching its issue "Beirut" on the occasion of the 9th
Summit - of
French-speaking countries, focusing on the theme of "Le dialogue des
cultures,"
- on
19 October at the Agial Gallery. A public discussion bringing together
authors
- and
artists from issue #108 is also to be held at Espace SD on 17. Launches
and
- panels
will be held in Paris and in New York in the course of the year.
PARACHUTE
is grateful for the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts,
- the
Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, the Arts Council of the
Montreal
- Urban
Community, the Fonds de stabilisation et de consolidation des arts et de
la
- culture
du Québec, the City of Montreal, and the Ministère de la
Culture et des
- Communications
du Québec.
The
launch in Beirut as well as the conference in Montreal have been made pos-
- sible
thanks to the support of the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications
du
- Québec,
the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Ministère
des Relations
- internationales
du Québec and the Canadian Centre for Architecture. The Canadian
- Department
of Foreign Affairs and International Trade has also provided support
- for
the publication of this issue.
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