It looks like a steel giant emerging shell-shocked from the rubble of the exploded Beirut port, but the towering sculpture, made of reclaimed construction steel, is in fact a friendly figure, handing out what looks like a flower to the city.
Listen to the latest podcast on the Beirut blast here.
It is made of dozens of damaged steel parts, which were once part of the port's hangars. On Wednesday, onlookers could see the 25-metre high sculpture being erected by a crane. In a few days, the finished project will also include a light and water installation, in time for Lebanon’s national day of mourning on August 4.
The Gesture, as the work has been called, will serve as a memorial to the victims of the explosion that devastated the city almost a year ago today. It is also intended as a sign of hope for its survivors, according to an Instagram channel about the work.
The sculpture was designed and conceived by Nadim Karam, who describes the project as a collective effort with many volunteers. “We’re all working together to say that life is important, and that we are really concerned about what happened to Beirut,” Karam says in a video posted on Instagram.
Twenty seven individuals and organisations, including designers, arts institutions, logistics companies and public sector bodies, contributed to the project as volunteers. “When I approached people to participate, nobody thought twice before saying yes,” says Karam. The artist has been busy with the installation and could not be reached for an interview.
But among the volunteers is architect Christian Atallah, 32, who was tasked with taking aerial photographs of the site during the construction process.
He tells The National that he was proud to take part: “It’s a really personal project for everyone who lives in Lebanon and was affected by the blast. The explosion destroyed Beirut, its heritage and its urban fabric. The sculpture creates something positive out of the destruction.”
The project was also supported by the Lebanese Army, with permits supplied by Lebanon’s Home Security and the Port Authority.
Karam is one of Lebanon’s most celebrated artists, known for his urban art projects and interventions. His public art works appear in cities including London, Tokyo, and Al Ula.
However, the response online to Karam's new sculpture so far has been mixed. While some celebrated his work on social media channels, others criticised it.
Mazen Chehab, a creative director from Beirut, disagreed with the timing of the sculpture. “That’s a shameful gesture. Nothing should be done with the port until those responsible for the explosion are heavily sanctioned,” he wrote in a comment on Karam’s Instagram channel.
Others asked for more transparency about the project’s commissioning structure, and the involvement of Lebanese politicians and public bodies. “The public institution does not have money to print official papers any more. How did they support this great epic initiative? […] Can we know their involvement?!” Nathalie El Mir commented on social media.
Activist Bachar Al Halabi accused Karam of complicity with Lebanon's politicians, who many believe should be blamed for having done nothing to prevent the explosion. In his comment, he asserts that the installation required the consent of "the very criminals/perpetrators of the explosion itself".
In a statement posted on Thursday, the team wrote that the work has been done without the involvement of the Lebanese government adding, "the only intention behind it is to acknowledge our tragedy, our loss, our sadness and anger."
One commentator who asked to remain anonymous questioned the originality of the idea, as last year Lebanese artist Hayat Nazer created the commemorative sculpture of a woman holding out a torch, using rubble and broken glass from the explosion.
However, some simply objected to the sculpture's brutal and worn aesthetics. “This thing is being placed in the port, oh God!”, wrote Twitter user Hady Kabalan.
Atallah, the volunteer, was upset by the comments and believes the criticism is misguided. “The sculpture does not aim to bring back the victims of this crime, nor does it replace the long awaited justice; it is a gesture, as its name states,” he says.
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Six things you need to know about UAE Women’s Special Olympics football team
Several girls started playing football at age four
They describe sport as their passion
The girls don’t dwell on their condition
They just say they may need to work a little harder than others
When not in training, they play football with their brothers and sisters
The girls want to inspire others to join the UAE Special Olympics teams
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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THREE
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War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
WandaVision
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Rating: Four stars
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
More on Quran memorisation:
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
What is 'Soft Power'?
Soft power was first mentioned in 1990 by former US Defence Secretary Joseph Nye.
He believed that there were alternative ways of cultivating support from other countries, instead of achieving goals using military strength.
Soft power is, at its root, the ability to convince other states to do what you want without force.
This is traditionally achieved by proving that you share morals and values.
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
