Hadi E. Damien (Mr.), Curator & National Coordinator
Hadi Damien initiated the participation of Lebanon in the Prague Quadrennial which he curated in 2015 and curates for 2019. Theater practitioner with a focus on scenography, he is also a consultant in events and communication, operating in the public and the private sectors. University lecturer, he leads a module on designing for events, and researches festivals. He has curated international delegations and exhibitions on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, worked on the Jeux de la Francophonie as well as on French, Ivorian and Lebanese Festivals. With a practice in political communication, he has accompanied public officers in their initiatives, and worked on policies for culture, tourism and communication. He is also the initiator and developer of Beirut Pride, and sits on the global advisory board of two NGOs. He speaks four languages, holds a Bachelor in translation, and a Master in Medieval Islam.

Hans Harling (Mr.), Exhibition Designer
Born in Beirut 1993, Hans Harling is a Lebanese half-human, half-mannequin of Armenian origins who has been designing costumes and props for major clubs and entertainment venues in Lebanon and the Middle East since 2010. He is also the founder of Moonstone brand. He performed in the Tribes Exhibition in the first participation of Lebanon in the Prague Quadrennial in June 2015. www.facebook.com/MoonstoneDesignHouse

Sasha Elijah (Ms.), Exhibition Designer
Born in Beirut 1995, Lebanese-Armenian Sasha Elijah is the first signed transgender model in the Middle-East, signed with Green Apple Agency. Her infamous performances make her the first transgender performer in Lebanon to ever perform in established venues such as "Discotek”, “Gärten" and "B018", maximizing on her collaboration with "Uberhaus", Lebanon’s biggest nightlife management. Sasha is regularly featured on news channels and global media outlets, both print and digital, and has become a loud voice within the trans* group.

Omar Khattar (Mr.), Exhibition Designer
Omar Khattar is a Lebanese interior architect and set designer. He mastered in interior architecture from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA) in 2016, and is currently pursuing an MA in Scenography and Exhibition Spaces in the European Design Institute (IED), Madrid.

Ad Achkar (Mr.), Documentation for PQLB
Born and raised in Lebanon, multidisciplinary artist Ad Achkar developed his vision throughout his life experiences - his philosophy of life and death. In 2010, Ad gained a BA in photography from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik - USEK, Lebanon, and completed, in 2017, an MA in Media Spaces at the University of Applied Sciences of Europe - UE, Berlin, Germany. From photography and collages to kinetic installations and media arts, Ad's works have been exhibited at Ars Electronica [Linz], Fellini Gallery and Art Lounge [Berlin], Snap! Orlando [Florida], See.me [NYC], Ayyam Gallery [Dubai] and Artscoops [Beirut]. He documented the first participation of Lebanon in the Prague Quadrennial in June 2015. www.adachkar.com

Giorgio Bassil (Mr.), Performer in the Formations
Giorgio Bassil is a Lebanese interdisciplinary artist who mainly works on performances, installations and interactive art. He graduated with a Masters Degree in Graphic Design from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik - Lebanon, and took part in different art exhibitions in Lebanon, Ivory Coast and Slovenia. His work explores meditative states, voyeuristic journeys and middle grounds. Giorgio currently resides and works in Beirut.

Firas El Hallak (Mr.), Performer in the Performance Space
 Exhibition – Theatre of Our World
Firas El Hallak is a video artist and a filmmaker based in Beirut. He earned an MA in Visual and Scenic Arts from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik. He has directed and produced several short films, documentaries and music videos. The groundwork for his research is the duality of surveillance and memory and the possibilities offered by video.

Nathalie Harb (Ms.), Speaker in the PQ Talks
Nathalie Harb is a multi-disciplinary scenographer. Her work spans across urban interventions, film, theatre, interior, and events. It explores the narrative and poetics of the spaces in relation to the subject with a great focus on crossing cultures. Her projects range from ground breaking plays, selective events to bespoke interiors, through various cities across the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. She lives between London and Beirut. www.nathalieharb.com

Cynthia Hasbini (Ms.), Designer in the 36Q° Project
Iridescent lights, tactile textures, organic patterns, subtle gradients and viscous liquids; these are the things which both inspire and come out of Cynthia-ël. A firm believer that the artist is not the art, she will not willingly divulge any information concerning her origins, current base, academic or career path. Her dogma? it must move. From graphic design to video art, interactive installation and live performance, her visual storytelling is gripping and her sense of aesthetics specific, inspired from a longing to the 90’s; when digital and analog were bordering on simultaneity. www.lookmaitmoves.com

John Dave (Mr.), Designer in the 36Q° Project
John Dave is a digital artist, creative coder, and scenic designer based in Beirut, Lebanon. Founder of the project LO2S, he merges audio engineering with visual arts in the service of content creation, art direction, visualization, scenography, 3D mapping, immersive setups, and digital design. John is a regular collaborator on festivals and installations in the MENA region. www.lo2s.net

Lori Kharpoutlian (Ms.), Designer in the 36Q° Project
Lori Kharpoutlian is an architect and dancer based in Beirut.

Holy Spirit University in Kaslik (Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik), Participant in the Common Design Project
Students from the USEK Performing Arts Program: Ms. Alexy Kawal, Ms. Anaël El Hani, Mr. Michel Abdallah, Ms. Myriam Saade, Ms. Joy Sfeir and Mr. Nizar Kassem, with the supervision of teachers Mr. Charbel Samuel Aoun, Mr. Nagy Souraty and Mrs. Lina Saade.

Credits & Acknowledgement

We acknowledge the input of the following persons for their valuable support (names in alphabetical order):

• Mr. Alain Badaro

• Mr. Hassan Maoula

• Mrs. Nada Sardouk

• Mr. Robert Tripes

The participation of Lebanon in the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space is organized by Lebanese NGO PQ-LB. Founded in 2014, it oversees the whole aspects of Lebanon within the PQ.