Chairs on stairs

CHAIRS ON STAIRS Proposal for an art installation

Beirut – Lebanon, 2018

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Chairs on Stairs

Proposal for an art installation

Along the ridge separating the coastal line neighborhoods from the overlooking ones, a series of stairs tie in between. My office, located in Mar Mkhayel, is a 7 minutes stroll up to my apartment, in Rmeil. I encounter two stairs on the way up and down but, more importantly, I cross paths with many of the aging demographic trying to catch their breath while climbing the steep steps. The art installation “chairs on stairs” calls for staggering the familiar traditional chair, ‘kerse el-khaizaran’, along the stairs to provide a moment of serenity, relaxation, and communication while maintaining stairs as a viable option, to connect neighborhoods.

‫كرس ي�‬

‫لخ‬ ‫ز‬ ‫ا � ي��ران‬

During wartime, this was my drawing table, with a handle that I carried around, fit for a candle and a sketchbook.

Chairs and stairs, although rhyming, stand in opposition and appreciation to one another. The relentless and dynamic stairs, draped across the ridge of the city provide an unblemished format of the sidewalk, uncompromised by encroaching parked cars. Chairs, static and restful, are pinned along the stairs to become markings; an invite to have a moment of reflection to sit and look back at the city from a higher vantage point - a stepped sidewalk with a view.

Stairs Mar Mikhael Zone

The Massad Stairs

In curtsy to the aging community, to provide a repose along the stairs, and ensure they remain a viable option to all to go up and down zapping in between neighborhoods.

Kuwait City Sharq 28 Jaber Al-Mubarak Street Khaleejia Tower, 9th Floor T +965 222 85 900 F +965 222 85 901

Beirut Mar Mikhayel Nicolas Turk Street Il Risveglio Bldg, 7th Floor T +961 1 44 55 39 www.pad10.com