Welcome to Libania

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(2010)

This project was my first personal "book" publishing experience. I come from a place who has seen grown the roots of our modern civilization. History over histories, conquerors over conquerors, legends over myths, the land of the fith mountain, Lebanon. Despite this background, the country has only short-tirm confessional views over its historical heritage, we do not share a collective memory of our history, a situation that badly tackle any hope for a national identity.

My attempt with this project was to propose a universal view of Lebanon's historical and cultural highlights, yet with a twist striking enough to attract the public attention. In the form of a little planet created from a 360-degrees panorama, the visual proposition was exactely what i was looking for to support the project's mission.

The project was published in 2010 with Byblos Bank has an exclusive contributor. It was printed in 2000 copies and followed by several exhibitions in Beirut, Baalbek, Zahlé, Saida, Byblos and during the french book fair 2010 in Beirut.

“Welcome to Libania” is an invitation to a journey in a déjà-vu land, with a fresh look and a new emotion.

Imagine a galaxy made of small and vulnerable planets. Photographed, these planets do not unveil anything beyond their beauty, and each one represents a place from Lebanon. They are charged with a curious emotion that urges us to react, rediscover the place, love it, take care of it… a bit like old-world explorers who were attracted by the mystery laying behind mountains and horizons.

This photographic fiction is totally new. It gets us to rethink our connection with these mini-words that carry in each one the history, the soul and the life of “Libania”.

The Right to Historical Memory

Extract from The Toronto Manifesto

1. Humanity without historical memory is lost and dangerous.

2. Historical treasures constitute a common property, a global memory and inheritance.

3. This network of historical value represents a new wealth for the entire world.

4. Preservation is essential to the future well-being of the world and is a vital seed bed for the future growth of human imagination. Preservation and conservation are not simply physical, they require education and communication.

5. A balance between historic deep time and global electronic time needs to be created to promote human understanding and belonging.

6. There must be economic and social rewards for conservation and preservation. Economic rewards can be structured a ‘specific’ value that can be exchanged with other commodities in the global finance structure. Social value stems from tolerance and continuity.