Lectures – French Institute Alliance Française (New York) + Architizer – "World Nomads Lebanon: Architecture Series"

New York, New York, April 6, 2010 – The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), New York’s premiere French cultural center, will break new ground in May with an inaugural Architecture Series, as part of the World Nomads Lebanon festival celebrating the art and culture of Lebanon. Curated by Ben Prosky and Beth Stryker and presented in partnership with Architizer, this series will present three discussions on architecture and urbanism in Beirut, exploring themes of memory, identity, and urban renewal.

Lebanon’s rich heritage has long captivated imaginations around the world, and the extraordinary Lebanese diaspora has broadened the cultural landscape and enriched global discourse. The powerful interplay between the memory of their homeland and life in new societies has shaped the work of important contemporary Lebanese artists. The FIAF program will highlight architectural powerhouse Bernard Khoury, as well as Roldolphe el-Khoury, Hashim Sarkis, L.E.FT architects, George Arbid, Steven Holl, and WORKac.

World Nomads is a month-long, multi-disciplinary series held each May at FIAF, celebrating transculturalism in the twenty-first century and exploring the crossroads of culture and identity. FIAF presents World Nomads Lebanon in 2010 in partnership with PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature, ArteEast, Alwan for the Arts, Architizer, and Kleio Projects.

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Bernard Khoury
Thursday, May 6 at 7pm
Venue: Tinker Auditorium

Join us at FIAF for a lecture by Beirut-based architect Bernard Khoury. Khoury will present his built works in Beirut, as well as his conceptual projects. A dialogue will follow, pertaining to the philosophy behind his work, which seeks to “reflect elements of the national character” and respond to the landscape, as well as the cultural and economic climate of the city.

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Public Space: Memory, Boundary, Catastrophe
Thursday, May 13 at 7pm
Roldolphe el-Khoury, Hashim Sarkis, L.E.FT architects
Venue: Le Skyroom

FIAF welcomes Roldolphe el-Khoury, Canada Research Chair in Architecture and Urban Design at the University of Toronto, Hashim Sarkis, the Aga Khan Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism in Muslim Societies and the Director of the Aga Khan Program at Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and architects Makram el Kadi and Ziad Jamaleddine of the New York City-based design collective L.E.FT. Panelists will address questions of memory and urban trauma as they relate to divisions in the city and diminishing conditions for public space in Beirut.

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Modern Architecture of Beirut: Reconstruction, and Cultural Identity
Thursday, May 20 at 7pm
George Arbid, Steven Holl, and WORKac
Venue: Le Skyroom

Architects George Arbid, Associate Professor of Architecture at the American University of Beirut, Steven Holl, Professor of Architecture at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, and WORK Architecture Company co-founders Amale Andraos and Dan Wood will participate in the final discussion in this series. In moderated conversation, speakers will explore post-civil-war planning and reconstruction, addressing questions such as historic preservation, conservation, and the conflicts inherent in the present reconstruction of Beirut.

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MERCI !

FIAF would like to thank the following for their generous support of World Nomads Lebanon:

Lead Sponsors
American Airlines, Lalique-Daum-Haviland and Samantha and Nabil Chartouni.

Premier Sponsors
InterAudi Bank, Joseph Audi, The Raymond Debbane Family Foundation and Nada and Elias Doumet Fund.

Additional Sponsors
Amber Capital, Délégation Générale du Québec à New York, Yervant Demirjian, Dr. Edgard El Chaar, Fondation Jean-Luc Lagardère, Mark Hachem, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, Karim Tabet and Haleem and Denise Zihenni.

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