Fractions of Memory

Fractions of Memory is the public installation which took place in Beirut during July and August 2003. The location was what used to be Martyrs’ Square in downtown Beirut. Martyrs’ Square was destroyed twice, first by the war, then by the reconstruction project. Nada Sehnaoui appealed to the public to participate in the making of the installation by publishing the following question in the press and on the internet: “Do you have a memory of daily life in downtown Beirut before the start of the war in 1975? If you wish to share this memory with the public, please: write a text recalling this memory, on one white page or more, in the language of your choice, handwritten or typed, signed or anonymous, and send this text to the following address…”. 360 structures were constructed using 20 tons of newspaper. Many structures carried the public's responses to the appeal while other structures carried blank pages for missing texts and lost memories.

Fractions of Memory
20 Tons of Newspapers
360 Structures
101 Texts
Downtown Beirut, 2003