Topography of Descent

Weaving simultaneously between the past, present, and future, this walk led by Dictaphone Group is a descent through Beirut’s various historical, social, and economic layers. Walking from the Sursock Museum down to Karantina, passing through the alleyways and staircases of the Roum neighborhood, hidden narratives and forgotten stories begin to unfold. Following the footsteps of a female domestic worker who would everyday take the same road from the mansion where she worked to the camp in Karantina where she lived, we discover traces she left behind, as well as unsettling stories of neighborhoods, inhabitants, and passersby.

City Walk Performance from Sursock Museum to Karantina, Beirut
Ethnographic Research & Performer: Abir Saksouk
Concept & Script Writing: Tania El Khoury
Commissioned by Sursock Museum 2015