Lorena's Epiphany

An Exhibit in Little Armenia

September 17, 2009 at 10:33 am Leave a comment

Earlier in the summer, I attend an interesting photo exhibit in the famous Armenian quarter of Bourj Hammoud. The outdoor exhibit and film festival, called Badguer I, was set up within an old pipe factory. Many Lebanese artists and photographers are currently drawing inspiration from this historic neighborhood. Life doesn’t get more real than here, and with time, Bourj Hammoud has developed its own unique culture. Some residents hardly venture outside the neighborhood (nor ever need to!).

Some of the images on exhibit were very powerful. One of my favorites was of an old MEA plane escalator set up as a staircase to a home. Talk about recycling! How did they find it? I’m sure there’s an awesome story behind it!! I would love to see it someday..

THE FLIGHT HOME

My friends and I caught one of the films, screened on an old-school reel. It was a bit noisy and that combined with a slow movie, made us restless. We only watched a few minutes of the film, but the concept of the exhibit was certainly a success. With some much-needed repairs to the old pipe factory, the space can easily become “the” cultural meeting point of Bourj Hammoud.

Below is a documentary about the festival:

Entry filed under: Floating. Tags: Armenians, August 2009, Badguer I, beirut, Bourj Hammoud, Documentary, exhibit, festival, film, Inspiration, Lebanon, Photography, pipe factory.