The facade of a traditional Beirut house reconstructed by French-Lebanese architect Annabel Karim Kassar at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London
The facade of a traditional Beirut house was reconstructed by the French-Lebanese architect, Annabel Karim Kassarin the London’s Victoria and Albert Museumas part of an installation focusing on the deadly explosion in the city’s port two years ago; the installation “The Lebanese House: Saving a Home, Saving a City” is the reconstruction of the facade of the Bayt K house, a traditional house in the Gemmayzeh district.
AKA, the architectural firm of Karim Kassar, was already restoring the 19th-century house when Bayt K was severely damaged in the August 2020 explosion. The reconstruction at the V&A is a five-metre-high stone structure with triple-arched windows, which they are supported by wooden beams that on the one hand echo the construction of a real house and on the other hand act as a metaphor for reconstruction, as the architect pointed out.
Visitors are invited to enter and touch the facade, whose tiles were salvaged from Bayt K, while the reconstructed ceiling features digitally printed copies of the real tiles damaged by the explosion. On the pale gray painted wall at the back of the installation, some A3-sized photos taken by Karim Kassar with her iPhone from Bayt K or nearby. In addition to the facade, the installation includes a large sofa with a quilt and pillows made from Beirut fabrics, in which visitors can rest. Also, a case of fragments from the painted plaster ceiling of Bayt K
In the project, Karim Kassar incorporated three films, projected on a screen in front of amphitheatrically placed traditional cushions; the films directed by Wissam Charaf and Florence Strayss document the history of Bayt K and the impact of the explosion on residents throughout the city. Visitors can also explore a digital platform for more information about the architecture of the original house.
“It is very movingAnnabel Karim Kassar said, speaking to Dezeen about the creation of her installation. “I realized how much of my emotions I carried, which I had previously held myself back from feeling. Now I realize it was a way of healing».
At the AKA office, which was founded by Karim Kassar in 1994, it is hoped that after the installation is dismantled at the V&A it will be exhibited elsewhere. “The Lebanese House: Saving a Home, Saving a City” will remain at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum until August 21.
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