A Monument for the Living

A Monument for the Living is a human-scale replica of the notorious Burj al Murr, a derelict concrete high-rise that towers over downtown Beirut.

Construction began on the 34 story office block in the early 1970s, but the outbreak of civil violence intervened and the building’s unfinished shell became a visible and strategic asset for successive militias whose varied uses ranged from sniper’s nest to torture chamber. The building remains a chilling landmark today--too unstable to use, too tall to implode--a memorial to a quieted but still unresolved political and social conflict. Marwan Rechmaoui first created A Monument for the Living in 2000 for an exhibition curated by Catherine David that toured Europe, the piece was destroyed along the way. 2010 This project was part of Sharjah Biennial 9