Urban Micro-Architectures on a Beirut Rooftop Offer a City Summer Experience
In the heart of Beirut, the Beirut Art Center (BAC) has been transformed into a vibrant, communal haven, thanks to the "Pretend It's a Pool" installation by Lebanese artist and designer, Nathalie Harb. This rooftop micro-architecture project invites visitors to slow down, relax, and re-imagine public life in a city where dedicated public spaces are scarce due to urban neglect, economic hardship, and conflict.
The central element of this installation is a small, blue, circular structure decorated with undulating waves, serving as an imaginary substitute for a pool. Surrounding this central feature, temporary shelters, improvised tents, cushions, and beds are wrapped in colorful textiles featuring intimate human drawings, accompanied by fig trees and herbaceous plants. Vibrant textiles flutter in the warm summer winds, creating an atmosphere of closeness often absent from public life.
Nathalie Harb's work focuses on the ambiguous space between public and private life, especially in the aftermath of the Lebanese Civil War. By transforming the BAC rooftop into a place for play and shared experiences, she symbolically restores a lost sense of connection and community. The installation offers a 360-degree panoramic view, exposing the city's fragility and weaving together history, memory, and imagination.
The project also collaborates with artists Joseph Kai and Lea Kayrouz. Joseph Kai's drawings fold into the installation like a second skin, infusing it with closeness often absent from public life. Lea's contribution to 'Pretend It's a Pool' focuses on the idea of 'commoning' through domesticity. She aims to identify shared practices, tools, and urban artefacts that spark imagination and cultivate collective responsibility.
Visitors are encouraged to build their own improvised shelters and add to the project using kits provided by the organizers. 'Pretend It's a Pool' serves as a hub for social activations, including musical performances and potluck dinners. It emphasizes the communal spirit and offers opportunities for strangers to share home-cooked meals, fostering a sense of unity and belonging.
Located at Jisr el Wati, off Corniche an-Nahr, Building Safe, street 93, zone 66 Adlieh, Beirut, this urban oasis will be on view until 20 September 2025. For those seeking a respite amidst the city's challenges, 'Pretend It's a Pool' offers a chance to reconnect with oneself and others, and to re-imagine life in a city that needs it most.
[1] Source: Beirut Art Center [2] Source: Designboom.com
- The "Pretend It's a Pool" installation at the Beirut Art Center presents an outdoor-living space, featuring temporary shelters, fig trees, and herbaceous plants, immersing visitors in a home-and-garden ambiance within the heart of the city.
- Lea Kayrouz's contributions to the "Pretend It's a Pool" project aim to cultivate collective responsibility and foster a sense of community, promoting the idea of 'commoning' through domesticity and shared practices, emphasizing the home-and-garden essence of the installation.
