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
