WORKSHOP 'PUBLIC SPACE? - Why does it matter so much in Lebanon?' 

The workshop 'Public space? – Why does it matter so much in Lebanon?' is initiated and organized by Studio Beirut and the Dutch organizations Archis, Partizan Publik and Pearl. The workshop will take place from August 17 till August 31 in Beirut, the North and the South of Lebanon. The workshop deals with a challenging theme in Lebanon where the structural lack of public spaces reveals the post civil war trauma and the existence of demarcation lines between different social and ethnic groups. In an attempt to define the notion of public space in Lebanon, the participants will follow the old Lebanese railway from north to south. Proposals for a (temporary) public space will be initiated for several locations in Beirut that are allocated for public space.

These potential public spaces are amongst others:  Ard Jalloul, Charles Helou bridge and surrounding lots, 800 meters of the corniche facade stretching from AUB beach to Riviera beach, parallel upper road on Ramlet el Baida and the trainstation in Mar Mikhail. After the workshop an international competition will follow to generate an executable plan for one of these potential public spaces.

During the workshop a multidisciplinary and international faculty with lecturers and critics from Lebanon, Holland, Norway and the USA will explore the concept of public space in Lebanon together with a group of 30 participants. The participants are architecture, urban design, urban planning, arts, sociology and political science students and young professionals from (different universities in) Lebanon, Germany, Holland, Swiss, USA, Slovenia, Aruba, Egypt and Russia.

PUBLIC EVENTS
The opening debate at August 18 at 10 a.m. and the final debate with Pearls in Lebanon (moderated by Ole Bouman, director of the Dutch Architectural Institute) at August 31 at 4 p.m. at the Order of Engineers and Architects will be attended by amongst others the president of the municipality of Beirut, Abed El Mounim Al Ariss. During this event the special issue of VOLUME MAGAZINE #12 Unbuilt will be officially launched. The issue contains a dossier on Lebanon and the first issue of NOISE published from Studio Beirut. These events and the celebration in Studio Beirut (Rue Gouraud, purple house with red windows, first floor, facing Patisserie Kassab, Gemmayze, Beirut) August 31 at 9 p.m. are open to the public.

End of press release
See programme at www.pearl-foundation.com or download it at www.studiobeirut.org. For more information please contact Studio Beirut at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

For more information about Archis, Partizan Publik and Pearl see:

www.archis.org

www.partizanpublik.nl

www.pearl-foundation.com

I'm based in Lebanon since May 5 to organize an international workshop about public space in Lebanon together with the Studio Beirut team (see also Projects, Studio Beirut). Furthermore I'm working in the South of Lebanon, in the village Tayr Debba on the realization of a computerproject and a playground with a park (see also Projects, Tayr Debba).

The workshop will take place from August 17 till August 31 in Beirut, the North and the South of Lebanon. An international faculty with lecturers and critics from Lebanon, Holland, Norway and the USA will explore the concept of public space in Lebanon together with a group of 30 participants from Lebanon, Germany, Swiss, Holland, USA, Slovenia, Aruba, Egypt and Russia. In an attempt to define the notion of public space in Lebanon the participants will follow the old Lebanese railway. The participants will work on locations that have the potential to become a public space. After the workshop we will organize an international competition to generate an executable plan for one of these potential public spaces. 

 
Curious? The opening debate at August 18 and the final debate which takes place at August 31 in The Order of Engineers and Architects in Beirut, will be open to a broader audience. Please check the programm below.

Nienke (founder and president Pearl), July 26, Beirut

Amsterdam/Beirut, 16 November 2006

UNBUILT: A PLATFORM OF EXPERTS ON THE RECONSTRUCTION OF LEBANON
Architects emphasize the necessity of restoring the public domain and cultural heritage

On invitation of several Lebanese architects and the Dutch organisations Archis, Partizan Publik and Pearl Foundation, expert meetings are organised in Lebanon about the reconstruction and the restoration of the public domain in Lebanon. The expert meetings take place from Thursday 16 November until Saturday 18 November. The immediate cause is the concern of Lebanese architects that - after the extensive devastation by the bombings last summer – the reconstruction is causing even more damage to the cultural heritage. Furthermore, they are concerned about the fact that little attention is paid to the tensions in the fragile and fragmented of Lebanese society. More attention for restoring the public domain can make a necessary contribution to rebuilding a balanced society.

During the meetings an international group of architects, visual artists, urban developers and journalists will strike up a conversation with each other and with inhabitants and representatives of local authorities. The participants analyze the situation on the spot and they will form collectively a clear view of the function of the public domain and the moulding of the reconstruction. In their recommendations they will pay attention to the following themes: Heritage & History; Memory & Identity; Community Building & the Public Domain as a meeting place; Safety & Security; Beauty & Aesthetics.

On Saturday 18 November, the first outcomes of ‘Lebanon Unbuilt’ will be presented – chaired by Ole Bouman (director of Archis and editor in chief of Volume) – in Beirut, in the presence of several people involved in the reconstruction and a representative of the Dutch embassy in Lebanon.

During the journey the participants make an inventory of actual projects with regard to restoring the public domain and the intercultural dialogue which will be realised in a follow-up in 2007. In the second half of January 2007 the results will be presented at De Balie in Amsterdam.

Participants are, among others:
Michael Stanton, Ole Moystad, Tony Chakar, Mona Fawaz, Howyda Harithy,
Georges Zuwain, Habib Debs, Afif Bazzi, Patricia Bijvoet en Chris Keulemans,
and the Dutch initiators: Archis: Lilet Breddels en Ole Bouman, Partizan Publik: Joost Janmaat en
Christiaan Fruneaux, Pearl: Nienke Nauta.

Archis Foundation is a cultural think tank devoted to the process of real-time spatial and cultural reflexivity.  Archis Foundation is publishing VOLUME Magazine a project by Archis, AMO, the office of Rem Koolhaas and C-Lab , the architectural laboratory of Columbia University; organises international events that initiate interdisciplinary debate on spatial and cultural issues; advises governmental organisations and private companies on a variety of urban and spatial issues.

See also www.archis.org



Partizan Publik is a think and action tank devoted to a braver society. The Partizans explore, produce and implement social, political and cultural instruments, which generate positive and sustainable change to people and their surroundings. As such we take part in the complex and continuous process of global social engineering by implementing capacity building projects, instigating social research, producing journalistic accounts and organizing public events. See also www.partizanpublik.nl

Pearl is founded after the recent war. Pearl's objective is to support the Lebanese to recover after the war. Pearl has contact with Lebanese people in order to establish what needs to be done. The ideas and initiatives are realised together with people in Lebanon. Pearl supports the restoration of public services and the realisation of cultural activities.
Furthermore, Pearl aims to stimulate intercultural understanding by bringing people together and to encourage an intercultural dialogue. Pearl would like to emphasize the importance of throwing light on people's daily lives as countries that are hit by disaster often are depicted in a one-sided manner by the media. See also www.pearl-foundation.com

For more information and photographs you can contact:
Linda van Maaren (press co-ordinator): T +31611378229
 

Amsterdam/Beiroet, 16 november 2006

UNBUILT: EEN EXPERT PLATFORM OVER DE WEDEROPBOUW VAN LIBANON
Architecten benadrukken noodzaak van herstel publiek domein en historisch erfgoed

Donderdag 16 tot en met zaterdag 18 november zijn er op uitnodiging van enkele Libanese architecten en de Nederlandse organisaties Archis, Partizan Publik en Pearl Foundation, op verschillende plaatsen in Libanon expert meetings over wederopbouw van Libanon en het herstel van het publieke domein. Aanleiding is de zorg van de Libanese architecten dat - na de omvangrijke verwoesting door de bombardementen van afgelopen zomer - nu juist de wederopbouw nog meer schade aanricht aan historisch erfgoed en er te weinig rekening wordt gehouden met de spanningen in de fragiele en gefragmenteerde Libanese samenleving. Meer aandacht voor herstel van het publieke domein kan een noodzakelijke bijdrage leveren aan het opbouwen van een evenwichtige samenleving.

Een internationale groep architecten, beeldend kunstenaars, stedenbouwers en journalisten gaat tijdens de meetings met elkaar en met bewoners en vertegenwoordigers van lokale overheden in gesprek. De deelnemers analyseren ter plaatse de situatie en vormen gezamenlijk een visie op de functie van het publieke domein in het vormgeven van de wederopbouw. In hun aanbevelingen besteden zij aandacht aan de volgende thema's: Heritage & History; Memory & Identity; Community Building & the Public Domain as a meeting place; Safety & Security; Beauty & Aesthetics.

De eerste uitkomsten van 'Lebanon Unbuilt' worden op zaterdag 18 november - onder voorzitterschap van Ole Bouman (directeur Archis en hoofdredacteur Volume) – officieel gepresenteerd in Beiroet, in aanwezigheid van diverse betrokkenen bij de wederopbouw en een vertegenwoordiger van de Nederlandse ambassade.

De deelnemers inventariseren tijdens de reis concrete projecten op het gebied van herstel van publiek domein en interculturele dialoog die in een vervolgtraject in 2007 worden gerealiseerd. Een presentatie van de bevindingen vindt in de tweede helft van januari plaats in De Balie in Amsterdam.

Deelnemers zijn onder meer: Michael Stanton, Ole Moystad, Tony Chakar, Mona Fawaz, Howyda Harithy, Georges Zuwain, Habib Debs, Afif Bazzi, Patricia Bijvoet en Chris Keulemans, alsmede de Nederlandse initiatiefnemers: Archis: Lilet Breddels en Ole Bouman, Partizan Publik: Joost Janmaat en Christiaan Fruneaux, Pearl: Nienke Nauta.

Archis Platform is een denktank en kennisnetwerk op het gebied van ruimtelijke vraagstukken in een maatschappelijke context. Architectuur en stedelijke cultuur worden door Archis geanalyseerd, bevraagd en mede vormgegeven. Archis is uitgever van VOLUME in samenwerking met AMO (onderzoekstudio van het bureau van Rem Koolhaas) en C-Lab (laboratorium  van Columbia University). Zie ook: www.archis.org

Partizan Publik: Office for Social Engineering, is een denk tank voor een betere samenleving. De Partizanen onderzoeken de mate van maakbaarheid van onze samenleving; ze produceren en implementeren sociale, politieke en artistieke interventies die aanzetten tot positieve en duurzame verandering, in mensen en hun omgeving. Zie ook: www.partizanpublik.nl

Pearl is een stichting die is opgericht naar aanleiding van de recente oorlog in Libanon. Pearl heeft tot doel Libanezen te steunen bij het herstel na de gebeurtenissen van de oorlog. Zij bespreekt met de Libanezen zelf wat daarvoor nodig is om dan samen met hen de verschillende ideeën voor projecten die voor verbetering zorgen en hoop geven, te realiseren. Dit kunnen zowel openbare voorzieningen als culturele activiteiten zijn.  Pearl heeft ook tot doel begrip tussen culturen te bevorderen. Door mensen samen te brengen en een interculturele dialoog te stimuleren. Pearl benadrukt het belang van belichten van andere thema's – uit het dagelijks leven van mensen – als een tegenwicht op eenzijdige berichtgeving over een land dat getroffen is door een ramp. Zie ook: www.pearl-foundation.com

Voor meer informatie en foto's kunt u bellen met:
Linda van Maaren (perscoördinator): T +31611378229.