Hosted/Guided Site Visits (Various Years)
American University of Beirut Archives and Special Collections
The Archives and Special Collections (ASC), housed in the Nami Jafet Library, collects, organizes, preserves and provides access to unique, historical and rare primary sources that document the history and culture of AUB, Lebanon, the Arab World and the region at large. ASC’s robust collections span centuries of knowledge and research produced about and from the region, in different formats (written, spoken, illustrated and/or composed). Their collections include more than 1,400 manuscripts; several hundred rare books; 8,500 volumes of theses, projects, and dissertations going back to 1906; 5,000 posters; 800 postcards; 1,900 maps; 50,000 photographs; and 700 linear feet of archival material, including papers of famous intellectuals
Arab Center for Architecture
The Arab Center for Architecture was founded in 2008 as the Association for the Preservation and Dissemination of modern Arab Built Heritage), a non-profit organization addressing modern urban design, architecture, design, and planning in the Arab world. It objectives include building a physical archive on modern architecture in Lebanon and developing a database on modern architecture in the Arab countries, including Lebanon.
Arab Image Foundation
The Arab Image Foundation (AIF) is a non-profit organization established in Beirut in 1997. Its mission is to collect, preserve and study photographs from the Middle East, North Africa and the Arab diaspora. The AIF’s expanding collection is generated through artist and scholar-led projects. The Foundation makes its collection accessible to the public through a wide spectrum of activities, including exhibitions, publications, videos, a website and an online image database. The ongoing research and acquisition of photographs include so far Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Mexico, Argentina and Senegal. To date, the collection holds more than 600,000 photographs.
Bibliothèque Orientale, Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth
Bibliotheque Oriental is the university library of Saint Joseph University in Beirut and houses an archival collection comprised of manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, and rare books.
Dictaphone Group (Guided Tours of Beirut Coast and Achrafieh Neighborhood)
Dictaphone Group is a research and performance collective that creates live art events based on multidisciplinary study of space. It is a collaborative project initiated by live artist Tania El Khoury and architect/urbanist Abir Saksouk. Together along with various collaborators such as artist and producer Petra Serhal, they have been creating site specific performances informed by research in a variety of places like a cable car, a fisherman’s boat, and a discontinued bus. The aim of these projects is to question our relationship to the city, and redefine its public space.
This Sea Is Mine is a site-specific performance that explores the concepts of access to the sea and public space in the city through Beirut’s seafront. The audience is invited to take part in a journey on a fishing boat. Going from the Ein el-Mreisse port to Ramlet el-Baida beach, the project explores land ownership of Beirut’s seafront, the laws that govern it, and the practices of its users.
Topographies of Descent is a guided walk through the various historical, social, and economic layers of Beirut. Walking from the Sursock Museum down to Karantina, passing through the alleyways and staircases of the Roum neighborhood, hidden narratives and forgotten stories begin to unfold. Following the footsteps of a female domestic worker who took the same road, we discover traces she left behind, as well as unsettling stories of neighborhoods, inhabitants, and passers by.
Holy Spirit University of Kaslik Library
The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) is a private Catholic higher education institution founded by the Lebanese Maronite Order (LMO) in 1938. The USEK Library has emerged as one of the major research centers in Lebanon. In particular, the Special Collections contain rare books, a manuscript collection, private papers of noted individuals, and a Latin American collection.
Orient Institut Beirut
The Orient-Institut Beirut (OIB) is a non-profit German academic research institute. It conducts and supports research on the history and present condition of the Arab world in the realm of the humanities and social sciences. The emphasis given to the systematic study of primary sources, regional agents and affairs provides a common conceptual framework. The OIB maintains a large research library, publishes two book series as well as an online series, and organizes academic events such as research seminars, lecture series, colloquia, international conferences, and workshops. The OIB is part of the Max Weber Foundation – German Humanities Institutes Abroad and mainly funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Sursock Museum
The Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock Museum is a modern and contemporary art museum in the center of Beirut first opened in 1961, with a mission to collect, preserve, and exhibit local and international art. Through their collection, archives, exhibitions, and public programs, they aim to produce knowledge on art practices in the region and explore work that reflects on the contemporary moment. Their goal is to support local art production, to provide a platform for encounter and experimentation with art and ideas, and to inform and challenge different audiences in new and unexpected ways. In addition to public events, the museum hosts a number of exhibits, permanent collections, and personal papers.