rana haddad . pierre hage boutros x atelier de recherche | alba x ccf . cultural dialogue in the garden of deafness . espace des lettres | beirut | lebanon . 10 / 2001

We situated our "Oreille Emetrice" installation in the corner of the garden, close to the entrance of the French Cultural Center, overlooking the outdoor terrace of the cafe. Once one approached the red box, one could eavesdrop on several conversations stretching over 2 or 3 coffee shop tables.

At that time, the fear of being overheard was a common worry in our daily discourse: distressed by the possible presence of undercover agents (spies) of the Syrian secret police at any corner, people were watching every word they said.

The purpose of our "ear" was clear: it flashed visibly from the entrance and made no effort to conceal its ability to eavesdrop, referring to the unavoidability of being overheard.

l’hebdo magazine | tania mehanna | 2001 | dialogue dans un jardin

alba | lebanon | https://www.alba.edu.lb/ar/machines/daaren.html