james kerwin captures the hidden beauty of ruined lebanese ceilings

Lebanon: a land full of architectural contrasts

english photographer and visual storyteller james kerwin reveals a segment of his latest book dubbed ‘abandoned lebanon’. a series of photographs showcases the beauty of the local architecture which is hidden in the ruined ceilings. through a middle-east journey, the artist captured over 30 intricate ceilings, finished in different colors and shapes.

these ceilings — called baghdadi ceilings — fill many homes throughout the country.  ‘baghdadi’ is the name for the traditional partition walls, or in this case, false ceiling, which was used in these heritage buildings — some of which date back 130 years. the baghdadi is made of lath (wooden strips) before being covered in plaster, and then painted or occasionally used as a fresh canvas for additional moldings, frescos, or artwork.

looking up in a derelict mansion in beirut

all images courtesy of james kerwin

a photographic delight

after his visit to lebanon for the first time and publication of ‘lebanon; a paradise lost‘ series, james kerwin (see more here) had a goal to help locals via donations to heritage organizations and complete his newest book which was heavily delayed due to the pandemic. this project captures the ceilings’ beauty that is hidden in houses from tripoli in the north, to tyre in the south, while a story behind each image comes to accomplish his narrative.

former home of a once prime minister

the unusual heneine palace was built in the late nineteenth century, during the final years of ottoman rule, and is one of the few in beirut with a distinctive 14th-century influence

moïse sursock built the sursock palace in 1860 as a symbol of the sursock family’s rich history. the palace is in the achrafieh district of beirut on the historic sursock street

some interesting ceilings, with differing styles and shapes painted upon them

on the evening of 4 august 2020, 2,750 tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate detonated at beirut’s port, triggered by a fire in a firework factory next door. many heritage buildings were damaged

the blast destroyed more than 60,000 units of offices, households, and crippled heritage mansions. $2 billion would be needed for the cost of reconstruction

approximately 1,000 historical buildings were damaged by the blast

during his visit, the artist raised funds through his ko-fi page for DHI- a heritage initiative set up to rescue damaged homes

hilst lebanon is a mix of architecture styles, artist’s focus was mainly on the most photogenic examples of 19th and 20th-century architecture, not just in beirut but country-wide

lebanon’s rich architectural heritage can be traced back over 7,000 years

a land full of architectural contrasts

project info:

name: abandoned lebanon

artist: james kerwin

published by: jonglez publishing — due out in november

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina petridou | designboom