Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Art & Entertainment | Book Reviews | Education | Entertainment Video | Health | Lifestyle | Sport | Sport Video | Search

 

Lebanese architecture and artist duo install in Wellington

PRESS RELEASE:
For immediate release April 26th 2017

Lebanese architecture and artist duo install in Wellington

Public art programme Letting Space announces its first international residency, hosting Lebanese architect and artist collaborators Rana Haddad and Pascal Hachem. The pair have recently arrived in Wellington City where they will be resident until mid May.

Rana Haddad, Assistant Professor at the American University of Beirut, is an established architect. Pascal Hachem is an artist and designer. Haddad and Hachem have been working for the past decades in response to their everyday life experience and shifting conditions culminating in temporary installations. Their body of work is described as highly politicized, taking on bold issues through provocative installations, objects and performances. After 20 years of experience within public institutions, they have been working in found public spaces in Turkey, Lebanon, and Italy.

Haddad and Hachem will provide a public presentation about their work at Adam Auditorium, City Gallery Wellington on May 10 at 6pm. Whilst in Wellington they will be working in the city with a site found for them through Urban Dream Brokerage, Letting Space’s service that brokers space for ideas by artists and groups in the city.

Rana Haddad and Sophie Jerram from Letting Space met in Copenhagen in 2016 and recognised synergies in their temporary practice.

“We are thrilled to be able to make the Wellington-Beirut connection and learn about strong experiences of public space in space and time of international conflict,” says Sophie Jerram.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Haddad and Hachem say “We are the product of the war. And our work is still a reflection of our city and of cities. We choose to look at Beirut as it stands today: a city riddled with danger, yet ripe with potential. Learning to embrace whatsoever experience that comes to us.

“Beirut became our ready-made, be it a street, pavement, or a theatre. Drifting between architecture, design, performance and storytelling, our professional practice and academics led us to discover new potentials in existing conditions. We have absorbed all we have experienced, whether during the war years or in their aftermath. We’ve reacted to the polarized socio/political and economic factors that have engulfed the state since then. We have become activists in the city.”

The public talk is supported by the Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects and City Gallery Wellington.

www.lettingspace.org.nz and www.urbandreambrokerage.org.nz

Public talk Wednesday 10th May 6pm, Adam Auditorium, City Gallery Wellington Radio Silence , Rana Haddad Beirut 2016


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Culture Headlines | Health Headlines | Education Headlines

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • CULTURE
  • HEALTH
  • EDUCATION
 
 
  • Wellington
  • Christchurch
  • Auckland
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.