Liberty Tower. Video 13 mins. July 2004/6.
Exhibited in Nafas Beirut- Gallery Espace SD-Beirut Lebanon November 2006.
I lived and studied in Beirut between 1999 and 2000, I shot Liberty Tower in July 2004, my first return visit to the country. The introductory text describes ”a magnificent tower”, and the many enticing attributes that the area has to offer. The true image of the tower is then revealed through the heat haze of a regular late afternoon, in summer. The letters of Liberty Tower stand proudly and the sounds of children playing in the park opposite, traffic and people at work can be heard, a city alive. Slowly the image turns to night and another Liberty Tower is revealed, pulsating and dysfunctional.
Liberty Tower, a magnificent twelve story building, where all offices boast spectacular views of the city below.
Ideally located in Hamra, the main city center of Beirut, the Centre is within easy reach of the capital’s principal hotels, stores, restaurants, banks and government offices. It is easily accessible with parking facilities within the building and all around it too.
In July 2006, yet another conflict in Lebanon began. My sister, neice and nephew were amongst those that were evacuated by the navy, whilst leaving behind friends and family. For freinds in Beirut, unable to go out, the internet was a life line. Artist Nayla Dabaji began the blog: www.lebanonthesedays.blogspot.com a collective document bearing witness to the destruction and death that summer.