Religious Visualization in Urban Space in Beirut
Religious visibilities in a city such as Beirut are object of an ongoing, almost daily management by the many different co-existing religious communities and political movements. These visibilities are subject to different strategies linking urban and territorial configurations to the media system, mingling religious, political, military and even the artistic interests. The work describes some of these visible religious territorial devices such as religious community propaganda materials, documents, street posters and video clips. It especially traces the role of urban ostentation and the aura of political and religious actors. These devices are put in relation with the recent history of the city of Beirut and its post-colonial conditions as a persistent state of war. The project is conceived as a film synopsis constituting series of scenes from religious and political life in Beirut.