We make art lest we should perish from the truth ...
I.
I don't know if Muslims, like Christians, believe that God moves in a mysterious way, but I suspect they probably do.
So one assumes the more devout citizens of Lebanon were prepared to accept this as an explanation for why, one year ago, God allowed a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate stored at the (state owned) Port of Beirut to explode, killing over two hundred people and injuring many thousands more (not to mention causing extensive property damage and leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless).
The blast was so big and so loud, that it was felt across the entire
region and heard in Cyprus, more than 150 miles away. American
geologists recorded it as a seismic event measuring 3.3 and it is
considered one of the most powerful artificial (and non-nuclear)
explosions in history.
Obviously, the 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate shouldn't have been kept in a warehouse without proper safety measures - and alongside fireworks - for the previous six years. But, even so, God could've stepped in and stopped the disaster, if only he weren't so damn mysterious.
And the Lebanese officials who repeatedly ignored warnings could also have prevented the disaster, if only they weren't so corrupt and incompetent.
Fortunately, apart from feckless politicians and an enigmatic deity, Lebanon is blessed with Hayat Nazer ...
II.
Born in Tripoli, this 33-year-old former UN humanitarian worker turned full-time artist, has produced a magnificent sculpture from the twisted metal and broken glass, thereby reclaiming the ruins and redeeming the suffering caused by the Beirut blast.
The untitled female figure stands nine feet in height, with her right arm raised and a stopped clock at her feet, showing the time of the explosion: 6.08. It is everything - and does everything - that Ian Rank-Broadley's statue of Diana, Princess of Wales, standing in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace, isn't and doesn't do.
For whereas Nazer's piece embodies the gritty resilience of the Lebanese people, Rank-Broadley's symbolises the sentimentality and aesthetic awfulness that the British pride themselves on (one is only relieved that the children standing with Diana aren't all holding teddy bears).
Finally, it might be recalled that Nazer has used debris in her art before; previous works include the figure of a phoenix made from pieces of the tents erected by protestors during the October Revolution (2019) which were destroyed by the authorities, and a heart-shaped sculpture assembled from rocks and empty teargas canisters, collected during clashes between protesters and the security forces.
She's an idealist, of course; acting in the name of Love. And that's unfortunate and problematic. But she's also talented, courageous, and beautiful, so I'm prepared to overlook her philosophical shortcomings.
Note: for an interesting article on Hayat Nazer and her work, by Fizala Khan, in The Kashmiriyat (1 Nov 2020), click here.
