A-RT-LLEGORY

Lebanese University, Institute des Beaux Arts – Department of Architecture

Project idea

Exploring the concept of layering in archeology, painting and architecture, a new architectural vision rises as an artistic layered extension to Beirut’s archeological layers (*adjacent site: Historical tell/Downtown), celebrating the marriage between the western and Middle-Eastern artistic creativity.
The stimulation opens the debate on the past, present, and future of “ART”: how will we celebrate the humanitarian side of the masters of art while embracing what technology can offer us?
A series of colorful “Pavilleries” (“Pavi” “Pavilion”+ “llery” “Gallery”) hanged on a white grid translates the philosophies of the most influential art movements through successive architectural signs telling the story through “allegory”. A wall representing the “Death of art” breaks the grid into the maze of limitless directions in contemporary art …The last immersive pavillery raises the questions:
How HUMAN will Art be in the future? What is the future of art exhibition spaces in the age of Post-Human Development?

Project description

Compared to the Phoenix, Beirut was destroyed and rebuilt 7 times. However this city of contrasts between the new and the old, the western and the local is struggling to preserve its identity: both archaeologically and artistically. A lot of archaeological terrains are left abandoned or even demolished by developments. Moreover, an exceptional artistic heritage is left in danger with no exposure.
Located in front of the “archaeological Tell” in Downtown Beirut, A-RT-LLEGORY becomes an opportunity to rehabilitate this historical terrain while highlighting the story of Lebanese art. The project through its artistic layers opens up as an artistic extension to the historical layers of the adjacent site.

ART:
A-RT-llegory is an experiential art museum that stimulates in the mind of the visitor a debate on the past, the present and the future of “ART”…The project proposes a series of what can be called “Pavilleries” (“Pavi” --“Pavilion”+ “llery” -- “Gallery”) inspired by a number of the most influential art movements that left deep impacts on the art world in general and on the work of Lebanese artists in particular.. Each art movement’s philosophy escapes the border of the canvas to be translated into successive architectural signs that try to tell the story of Lebanese art in an unconventional way generating both experiential and exhibiting spaces…

ALLEGORY:
As life, love or death…ART is one of those abstract notions hard to grasp or frame into one definition. Dealing with such controversy through architecture requires a new conceptual approach in design strategies. Thus the project uses “allegory” in architecture to trigger the mind of the visitor to elaborate his own visions, definitions and positions. The word traces back to the Greek word “allēgorein” meaning "to speak figuratively through enigmatic signs”.

THE JOURNEY
: At the beginning, a translucent wall representing “The allegory of the cave” by Plato blurs the whole project into shadows generating suspense towards the unknown. A white grid representing the pure soul of the human after birth holds the hanging colorful layers as the accumulative experiences that mold his personality throughout his life.

THE STORY:
The story is divided into 4 main eras:

1-Depicting realities:
Uniform grid 3.6*3.6 -classism. Includes 3 Pavilleries: the Beginnings (sacred art), the Pioneers (including Gibran Khalil Gibran) and the Impressionism zone.

2-Ideologies:
Fading grid representing modernism’s abstraction of reality. Includes:
-The pavillery of fragmented realities (cubism) which is an optical illusion exhibition space .It can be seen differently from every corner of the project as cubism introduces: There’s no single perspective of truth. -The pavillery of fluidity within order (Arabic calligraphy).
-The pavillery of controversial feelings (Abstract expressionism) inspired by the complexity of the human being.
-The pavillery of the notion of “Place” (Surrealism & War): these two are linked in the story of Lebanese art since surrealists drew their fears of sectarianism which caused Civil war.

3-THE MAZE OF PLURALITY: represents the total democratization of art nowadays. A second large wall painted with Vantablack the blackest material on earth questions Arthur Danto’s theory: The death of art: “Art has reached its end not by being abolished but by being dissolved into everything else”.

4-THE LAST IMMERSIVE PAVILLERY: questions the future of art in the age of post-human development. How HUMAN art will be in the future?
What’s your own A-RT-LLEGORY?

Technical information

Technically, coated with anti-oxidant the white steel grid structure serves as the main structure to all the elements of the project... A mesh covers the whole project protecting all exhibits from the Climatic factors.