Rayyane Tabet's 'A Model: Prelude' Transforms Beirut Explosion Debris into Art at Mudam

Rayyane Tabet's solo exhibition 'A Model: Prelude' at Mudam Luxembourg transforms trauma from Lebanon's historic tragedies into hope. The centerpiece features 200 hand-blown glass water pitchers made from glass shattered by the 4 August 2020 Beirut port explosion, which killed 218 and injured 7000. Environmental engineer Ziad Abichacker collected the debris and sent it to struggling glassblowers in northern Lebanon. The pitchers are displayed in a floor-to-ceiling stacking system. The exhibition is part of Tabet's Trilogy project, a series of interventions in I.M. Pei's building. One intervention uses gauze curtains from his grandmother's 1950 apartment, made of rayon, nylon, and polyester—materials rooted in WWI technology and later produced by Nazis using forced labor. Another covers the glass roof with blue panels, referencing the 1967 Six Day War when Arab world windows were painted blue to evade bombing. Alvar Aalto's furniture from the 1933 Paimio Sanatorium, held in Mudam storage since 2000, is also displayed. The exhibition runs until 12 May 2024.