Grapevine // June 2024
Arab Image Foundation's library, An Enemy of the People, The Details and Frances Hodgson Burnett, Vampire Weekend, and Shamstep
Grapevine is a monthly list of recommended things to read (books not links), think about, experience, or see (mostly in Lebanon) including art exhibits, films, performances, or anything that I found inspiring. Think of it as a curated moodboard of micro-utopias that is up-to-date and focuses more on the physical rather than the digital.
Arab Image Foundation’s library.
Monday to Saturday, 10am - 5pm
As part of the International Archives Day events1 that were planned between June 5 - 9, the Arab Image Foundation (AIF) scheduled a tour of their new premises in the Aresco Center building in the Qantari area of Hamra. Unlike their last facility that was blown apart by the Aug 4th explosion, this space is public-facing building with pedestrian access.
Established in 1997, the AIF houses 305 collections of over 500,000 images, less than half of which have been digitized. The foundation gets material in one of three ways: donation, deposit/loan, or purchase.
In an effort to provide a FREE collaborative space in Beirut, their new library offers an air-conditioned workspace, access to books, WiFi, and coffee. With their open-door policy, the team is hoping more people will look into their collections too. They also have a theater space that’s still under construction. I’ve yet to go camp out there during these sticky days but I want to incorporate it into my rotation for the next few weeks so I’m not hiding in my house all summer.
One of the projects AIF’s now processing is that of a photo studio in Tripoli, Photo Jack. Funded by UCLA, it’s a massive collection of photos taken in the 50s, including “photo surprise” which was the region’s version of sartorial street photography between the 40s and 60s. It was a marketing tactic used to lure people back to the studio to buy the photos taken of them on the street or in the square!
The collection can be viewed at AIF in-person or digitally on UCLA’s website.
