2nd Prize winner of the Shabab Ayyam Photography Competition [October 2011]

At first, the photographs seemed to tackle the issue of abandoned spaces in Beirut city. It all started when I came across this public school on Bliss Street that I wished to explore. The building caught my attention on several levels. On the surface, it represented some sort of Architectural jewel as its façade manifests a traditional early twentieth century local architecture. Nevertheless, this building wasn’t just any place, seeing as it was formerly a public school that was up and running up until two years ago when the property was purchased in order to be demolished and replaced by another luxury residence.
These images do not just aim at romanticizing the disappearing architectural heritage of the city, they also wish to portray the price that comes with it on a social and economical level, seeing as such an issue is a manifestation of a much more complex reality which also begs the viewer to question the state of public education in Lebanon. Read Less