In September 1975, large civil unrest in Lebanon broke out for the third time in little more than a hundred years. Just like the previous two times in 1860 and 1958, the Maronite community were...Show moreIn September 1975, large civil unrest in Lebanon broke out for the third time in little more than a hundred years. Just like the previous two times in 1860 and 1958, the Maronite community were involved in the fighting. In a country where confessional identity or sect plays a decisive role, a coalition between Maronite warlords called the Lebanese Front was formed in 1976. Together these patriarchs of influential clans could join forces and defend the status quo cemented in the 1943 National Pact that laid the foundation of a multiconfessional and independent Lebanese Republic. In the agreement, that divided political power according to the 1932 census, the Maronites essentially dominated the government apparatus. However, relations between participating parties in the LF turned sour within just a few years. Instead of facing the common enemy, Bashir Gemayel turned against his Maronite allies.Show less
Starting out from the background of contemporary art practices in post-civil war Lebanon, this thesis investigates the complex negotations and deconstructions of the archive that Walid Raad´s...Show moreStarting out from the background of contemporary art practices in post-civil war Lebanon, this thesis investigates the complex negotations and deconstructions of the archive that Walid Raad´s project The Atlas Group is undertaking. The first chapter looks into the specific agency of montage that is being used in the work Let ́s be honest the weather helped. A transformative relationship between hiding and affirming is established here, which produces 'potentiality'. In a second step, I will analyse how the subjective nature of history writing is revealed by works in The Atlas Group. The theories of Hayden White will serve as a basis for this chapter. Jalal Toufic ́s concept of the withdrawal of tradition will provide a fundament the second section of this chapter as White and Toufic are going to be put in dialogue. Toufic argues that objects and documents happen to be 'withdrawn' after traumatic events - a unconventional notion that also is reverberating in some pieces by Walid Raad. Thirdly, authority and authorship will serve as two anchor points for further observations as these two are interdependent and integral to the questions, which The Atlas Group is raising. Fourthly, I will analyse how not only the incapability of the document to record 'the decisive' moment is revealed, but also how allusions to this imperceptible instance are being made - an interview Jean Francois Lyotard and Alain Pomarède will enable deeper understanding of these observations.Show less
