Camera Chiara: Lebanon in Milan, by AKK Architects

Description of the installation by AKK Architects

Two telescopic structures, named Liwan and Obscura respectively, made of raw metal and burnt dark and rough wooden planks face one another not far from Kengo Kuma’s paper structure and Alessandro Medini’s giant red lips. Annabel Karim Kassar not only highlights savoir-faire but also French and Lebanese savoir-vivre. Attracted by the diffuse light from Saint-Gobain’s hand-blown glass, one is in for a rare experience – a piece of interior and a kind of cinema installation.

The Liwan is a part of the Lebanese home’s living room opening onto the bedrooms. At the same time a place to meet or to pass by and be happy to meet anyone.

Why this idea of the Liwan? It is a tradition passed down from Ottoman constructions. The great Roman and prehistoric excavations – as well as the bombings – have left the city of Beirut pockmarked, exposing its insides. Many people live precariously here on mounds of soil with a bit of flooring. I decided to carry with me a “chunk” with its thickness and layers of ground to try to show the complexity of the city.

The visitor will find a cosy place. The wood floor was hand painted by craftspeople in the same patterns found on Lebanese ceramics. A sofa and vintage armchairs invite the visitor to sit. A vintage damask silk fabric covers the main couch. It’s also a noisy place… Lebanon is quite noisy. The noise from outside always comes inside. To show this, I wanted to play a recording of the hubbub of the city mixed with the traditional Arab music playing on a vintage gramophone and the singing of a bird comfortably perched on its cage. This place is like my place. There’s a selection of objects I chose or designed. And there will be a toilet in the shape of a phosphorescent throne [laughs].

The quiet Obscura Pavilion is showing some movies talking about human stories, make up processes, craftsmanship…

Why a cinema? I find it important to talk about the roots that give us our strength, and to talk about it in a comfortable space. The viewer will appreciate – I hope – a whole new kind of cinema, lying stretched out or curled up on mattresses handmade by artisans in Tripoli. Our Splashing lamps will cast soft rays of light through micro-perforations, like a warm night light.

Text.- AKK Architects