Behind the Sea [2011]

Lebanon

Medium: Mirror Installation | Digital Photography

Do Lebanon’s coastal cities really embrace the sea that they border, or do they turn their back to it?
Downtown’s waterfront, Tripoli’s Mina, ATCL Jounieh, Dbayeh’s Marina, Jbeil, Rawche, and Saida are the most frequented coastal promenades in Lebanon. Whether it is for jogging, bicycling, fishing, swimming or just hanging out, these sites are popular public places that bring together citizens from every background.

“Behind the Sea” sets up five [1x2m] mirror panels facing the sea. They are disposed with altered angles so as to reflect what’s behind – from buildings to passers-by to politician portraits – the entire visual environment of the space. The mirrors break the space into temporal cuts, and one point of view becomes so many fragments. Each resulting photograph forms a mix of various scenes, reflecting much of the cultural, political, community values as well as the history of each location, leaving the viewer ahead of the sea.