Akoury, C. (2025). Beirut: Alternative Chronotopes for an Aesthetic Experience of Presence

The capital city of Lebanon has borne witness to violent and degrading events. Marred by incessant destruction, wasting, and latent promises of prosperity, the image of the city is enshrouded with a hauntingly resilient memory characterized by unresolved conflicts and urban alienation. These experiences have left their visual and experiential mark throughout the urban space producing a state of involuntary suspension. While memory appears initially to be a strictly temporal phenomenon, this article propounds the spatial repercussions of memory. Additionally, the aim of this article is to turn to artistic and critical design practices to produce new images leading to an aesthetic experience of the presence. The article highlights selected projects by local artists and designers that attest to the formation of new aesthetic experiences of presence. These experiences provide a way out of the deadlock of memories and tropes in favor of an alternative chronotopic image of Beirut.