VIRTUAL London Heritages Conference
Abstract
Creativity in independent public and contemporary art can be essential to social change. Artistic research in post-conflict cities, present on the street or gallery walls, translates into socially engaged art, using the power of aesthetics and critical thinking to attract and reassess the status quo. Street and contemporary art can exist for no reason or any purpose without carrying the burden of changing the world. In a post-conflict city like Beirut, street and contemporary artistic endeavours focus on mending the sectarian divides created by wars and their aftermaths. Artists from different disciplines and backgrounds voice their opinions against ruling parties and record unprecedented events. Their work draws on a long history of artistic heritage as a mnemonic tool that reflects a new generation’s social and political realities. They aim to communicate the moment and keep the momentum alive. To break through the state-initiated post-war amnesia, artists from Lebanon express a violent, traumatic history but also play a significant role in shaping a present sense of belonging and identity. Drawing on case studies from post-war contemporary art and the 2019 Lebanese revolution street art, this paper explores how those artworks outline territoriality and define identities to the internal and external gaze while reflecting underlying political, social, and historical tensions. Street and contemporary artists create works that document, archive, and record, often aiming to give voice to the voiceless.
Joumana is an award-winning Arab-Canadian graphic designer with extensive experience working with regional and international clients and institutions on design research, graphic design, and information design projects. She has also spent fifteen years as a design educator, teaching in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. She is a faculty member in the Visual Design department at Istituto Marangoni in Dubai. Joumana has led and published design research projects, facilitated workshops at local and regional levels, participated in international juries, and won international design awards.