On 4 August 2020, Beirut was rocked by the biggest non-nuclear explosion ever recorded in an urban context. How should the reconstruction of the city now take place in its current political and socio-economic context?​
This symposium will look at the different forces that shaped what happened, the incident itself, and the different strategies required to reconstruct Beirut in the aftermath of this tragedy. As a series of short-term and long-term proposals, sessions across this day-long event will be chaired by AA students and will discuss ways in which heritage, reconstruction, community-led projects, and interdisciplinary exchange can all be addressed in the post-blast context.
00:00 – 1:14 – Introduction (Riayd Yassine)
1:15 – 11:27 – Shadow of Beirut: a Material Register – (Haya Mrow)
11:37 – 29:03 – The Return of the Repressed – (Frederik Weissenborn)
30:12 – 42:03 – Inheriting Heritage: Consequences and Responsibilities – (Omaya Malaeb)
43:35 – 48:50 – Beirut Blast: Recovering Public Spaces – (Aude Azzi)
50:13 – 58:20 – Beirut, After the Apocalypse – (Roula Salamoun)
1:00:54 – 1:12:30 – Body of Mayhem – (Samer Eid)
1:12:31 – 1:51:16 – Discussion/Q&A
