| 
Almost
a decade ago now, the "War of Lebanon" came to a stop.
The
reconstruction of the Beirut Central District began and stopped
in 1983 when many believed, wrongly, that the war first ended.
The story was to continue in the early 1990s.
As
an architect graduating almost at the same time as Solidere, the
real estate company charged with the reconstruction was created,
I was very interested in the debate that shook the country, whether
around the urban design itself, the politics behind it, or more
importantly, around the validity of the forced redistribution
of rights to the real estate.
In
all cases, many things have happened since, Solidere has cleared
the ruins, cleared whatever stood in its way of maximum return
on investment, restored dozens of buildings, and finished the
general infrastructure. Almost all the original opposition to
the project was diluted with the fait
accompli. And today, most architects are begging for work
from the country's largest private real estate holder, and few
think of producing counterproposals anymore.
I
personally believe that the form is lost, and any proposal for
a radical PHYSICAL redesign of the central district of Beirut
is futile. On the other hand, re-appropriation of the empty sterile
streets through impromptu events and small scale interventions
is still possible and is the only way to keep the heart of Beirut
from transforming into nothing more than an elitist ghetto.
But
that is not the theme of this presentation.
This
presentation will address the issue of identity, national, cultural
or otherwise, through the eerie parallel between the gradual destruction
of the country's physical form and the gradual abstraction of
the National Currency's design.
My
argument is best illustrated by a series of pictures from Beirut
and of designs of Lebanese bank notes.
My
contention is that there seems to be a very clear shift during
the postwar period, from place-related banknote design, to a totally
generic, abstract design, that is very similar to the gradual
transformation of the physical landscape of the country into a
mixture of unidentifiable architectures and of tabula
rasas.
The
question that remains unanswered is: is this a coincidence?
Social
scientists will try to explain it by a need to "Start afresh",
zeitgeist believers
will tell you that it is a normal representation of computer age
art, while conspiracy theorists will swear it is all a premeditated
scheme to rub all notions of identity and attachment to land from
the mind of the Lebanese, and sell their soil to foreigners.
Whatever
the case, it is, in my opinion, just like the design of the city
centre, the reconstruction of the Beirut international airport,
and of most of the country, another flagrant and unfortunate missed
opportunity.
Money
in Lebanon is perhaps the single most common denominator between
the 18 or so communities that make up the Lebanese mosaic. The
failure to recognise the importance of national currency as an
archive of culture, is as dangerous as the systematic eradication
of cultural heritage, as in the example of the Beirut Central
District.
The
hurried reconstruction (or re-destruction) of the BCD, was achieved
under the slogan of a need for a neutral and unifying territory
to mend post war scars.
An
overzealous equation of "development" with "immediate
reconstruction" has ultimately lead to the dilution of the
identity of the place into a homogeneous, tasteful but flavorless
whole. Today, the BCD is still a hole in Beirut. Clean. Pretty.
But dumb.
While
the rest of Beirut retains its character, the design of the bank
notes has somehow been updated to reflect the basic flavors of
the new centre: a regular grid, empty lots, and abstracted symbols,
almost apologetically superposed, as on the new 10,000 Lira note.
Even the color reflects that of the dirt filled lots.
 
This
incredible reduction of Beirut to its Central District, is most
eloquent in the new road that takes anyone from the brand new
airport to the brand new centre and back in 7 minutes a trip.
An itinerary that allows one to experience all of the future Beirut,
but none of the present, insanely ugly and yet so charming Beirut.
The
danger of this reduction is that of the transformation of a buzzy
and diverse Mediterranean city, into a homogenous global business
centre.
It
is the transformation from heteropolis to monopolis, the reduction
from national currency to one fit only for a game of monopoly.
…
|
