In this short video, artist Farah Awada records the ebbs and flows of the city of Beirut during one of its most tumultuous periods. From the uproar of the 2019 uprising to the stillness of the global lockdown and the economic crises that took place in between, her video is a montage of sounds, images, objects, and people that populated her life during that time.

Artist’s Note

A surge is caused by the storm’s winds pushing intense insecurities, fears, energies, and emotions onshore. Storm tide is the total observed seawater level during a storm, resulting from the combination of storm surge and the astronomical tide.

Beirut is an ever-changing city as it reflects our collective states of mind and energies and it has always been challenging to survive in it. But when you start to observe and listen to the city, all the layers become more audible and what was previously hidden is right there for you to grasp.

I have always struggled to understand and accept the city of Beirut. It has shaped me and it’s entrenched in my identity as if I’m tied to its core by an invisible rope, a rope that I can’t see and therefore can’t cut.

I’m obsessed with memories and stories; my chosen memories always revolve around a collection of all my senses and remembering is the act of reliving these moments.

In this virtual soundwalk, I tried to recreate and retrace the last couple of years as I felt them and as they were documented in my archive of videos and sound recordings. The piece is a reflection of the sounds and images of Beirut experienced through my sense of time, speed, and intensity.

The definition of safety and security is continually redefined and highlighted in relation to emotional, mental, and physical states as we have collectively gone through the most intense and terrifying period in our lives in the past few years.