Fragmenta Project in Beirut Transforms Marble Waste into Art

A new initiative in Beirut called Fragmenta: The Revival of Lost Form, launched by fashion designer Nour Najem and architect-designer Guilaine Elias, invites 51 Lebanese and international artists and designers to transform discarded marble fragments into functional or artistic objects. Curated by interior designer Gregory Gatserelia, the project emphasizes craftsmanship, material reuse, and circularity. Participants were required to use marble as the primary material (at least 70% of each piece) and collaborate with Najem Group, a major local marble industry that supplied the raw material. Works were presented at Najem Group's headquarters and will be exhibited on Beirut's streets until the end of October. Notable contributions include Richard Yasmine's pieces evoking rococo and French romanticism, Georges Mohasseb's Menir collection contrasting marble with brass, and Andrea Mancuso's hybrid objects using wax like kintsugi gold. The project explores the poetic potential of fragments as starting points for new creations, bridging memory and invention.