In honour of the participation of Lebanon in the thirteenth edition of the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, Mrs. Rola Hamdan, chargée d'affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Lebanon to the Czech Republic hosted a reception on Tuesday 16 June 2015 in the Residence.

More than 80 persons attended the reception, amongst whom Ambassadors to the Czech Republic, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, Unesco executives, actors from the Czech cultural scene, curators of participating countries, Prague Quadrennial organisers and the Lebanese diaspora.

In the course of the evening, Mrs. Hamdan delivered a welcome address to which Mr. Hadi E. Damien, Curator and National Coordinator responded, introducing the highlights of the participation of Lebanon in the PQ'15.

Publication Mute Movements - A Collective Performance Art Journey in Beirut 2009-2014 by Cornelia Krafft was on display and the reception marked its first international launch. Moreover, PQLB'15 bracelets were distributed to the attendees.
 

Photography: Ad Achkar

Hadi E. Damien Speech -

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Curator colleagues and friends.

Allow me at the outset to extend this welcome address on behalf of the Lebanese delegation and the multiple public institutions on board of the first participation of Lebanon in the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space.

We are proud to bring to Prague more than 12 events from Thursday 18th to Sunday 28th of June 2015. Walk in our National Exhibition on the Balcony of Prague Crossroads and discover photographs of 16 performances from more than 17 artists. The Student Section at Kafka’s House features floating pictures from productions done in three universities in Lebanon. We bring you an air of Beirut everyday at 2 pm, at the other end of Charles Bridge, where we will be sending down a basket from the Lesser tower. Conceptualized by Cornelia Krafft, “Send Down The Basket” is a daily performance that reaches out to people who pick up instructions from the basket and search for generic everyday needs. Speaking of which, a food design performance by Miriane Zgheib around the fattoush is scheduled for the Makers. Entitled “Fatt/Fatt”, it explores the duality between entity and fragments through this Levantine salad. Cornelia Krafft will introduce you to a more intimate layer from Lebanon as she will conduct a two-day workshop using the lifeh, or the luffa, an organic material we use to shower and that has been used for thousands of years as the traditional body scrub and general household cleaning sponge. In the course of 2 days, the workshop “Performance Skins and Fiber Spaces created out of Luffa” will explore the lifeh and build costumes and scenic elements. The creations will culminate in a performance on Tuesday 23rd June at 8 pm on the Islands of the Vltava River. From the water to the firm land, other kinds of costumes will be roaming the streets of Prague. Walk with Hans Harling and his tribes, and experiment the beauty mania from Beirut and our alienation to technology. Cyrille Najjar will re-enact a city performance he did on an abandoned house in Beirut Downtown in the frame of the Sound Kitchen 2015. On a less performative level, I will be attending the Performance Design Criticism Seminar with Arnold Aronson and Diana Damian to think about performance design and its presentations in our 2015 days. Finally, we are delighted to internationally launch the book “Mute Movements: a Collective Performance Art Journey Through Beirut 2009-2014” in the frame of the PQ. Authored by Cornelia Krafft, this first regional performance art book is on display at the Best Scenography Publication Award Exhibition and on sale at the PQ Bookshop at Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace. The book is also on display tonight, and we invite you to discover additional details with the author. More information is available on our www.pq-lb.org website and social media channels. Follow us through hashtag #PQLB sewed on your bracelets.

We extend our regards to the people who collaborated with us on the PQ. Financial challenges have sometimes limited our entries; but our resilience has pushed us till here. We thank the Prague Quadrennial organisers; we sure as curators gave them some hard time. Dear Organizers, thank you for your endeavours and continuous availability.

Our participation in the PQ is highly institutionalised. We thank the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lebanon. We tell our thanks to the Municipality of Beirut, the Embassy of the Czech Republic to Lebanon, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount-Lebanon and the Sponsor of Arts Mr. Maurice Sehnaoui. The National Lebanese Commission for Unesco, the Office du Tourisme and Live Love Lebanon are platforms that take our participation to another level of exposure.

In conclusion, it is rare that the services of an Embassy be much invested in an art and culture project. The implication of the Embassy of Lebanon to the Czech Republic is a great precedent. Our warmest greetings and deep recognition go to her Excellency Mrs. Rola Hamdan, our host for tonight, for her initiative to gather us all here for introductions and business development. We extend our gratitude to the whole team of the Embassy and thoroughly thank them for their efforts and excitement.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are delighted to have you amongst us in the Residence of the Embassy of Lebanon and wish you a great evening. Enjoy our delicacies, mingle, and see you at the very expansive Prague Quadrennial.

Thank you!