013_VB
Project Name: Note on a Tree
Project Type: Installation
Date: 2016
Status: Completed

Location: Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy

*Collaborators: 109 Architectes

How important is a tree? In Lebanon, the answer depends on whom you ask.

A developer will likely say one tree is insignificant, and history has shown that the needs of Lebanese developers often trump the common good. As impulsive projects wipe out public spaces, neighborhoods are hanging on to snippets of the city. A single tree can become the heart of a community.

109 Architectes faces daily battles to preserve Beirut’s communal elements and the collective memories they represent. Some battles are won; others are lost. In one instance, a neighborhood tree was successfully integrated into a residential project. That same year, a centuries-old eucalyptus was cut down to make room for excavation, despite the firm’s effort to defend it. When a tree’s future hangs in limbo, it becomes the ultimate symbol of time, space and existence.

So how important is a tree to you? You’re invited to take a pine or cedar seed, plant it anywhere in the world and pin its location on our map. Consider it a living reminder of lost public spaces.

With your help, these seeds will create new landmarks in pavement cracks and shady gathering points in countrysides. Or maybe nothing will be planted at all. Just as with our everyday battles, success and failure are equal opponents. It’s up to you to tell us who wins.