jad el khoury creates building-size compositions for war peace project

jad el khoury creates building-size compositions for war peace project
all images courtesy of jad el khoury

25 years have passed since the end of the lebanese civil war. in that time, physical and emotional wounds have healed — but traces of the conflict still dot the landscape. bullet and rocket holes permanently scar dilapidated buildings, serving no purpose other than reminding witnesses of the barbarism of war. ‘war peace’ is an attempt to let those who lived it move on. created by lebanese interior architect and artist jad el khoury, the project features massive compositions of ‘potato nose’ characters that cover the sides of blown out structures. the works don’t aim to erase the memory of what happened, but simply hopes to bring joy rather than despair. 

‘war peace’ building detail 

all buildings are in el khoury’s native beirut 

building close up 

the compositions are made of ‘potato nose’ characters, the artist’s signature forms 

the project doesn’t aim to erase the past, but works with it to create positive thought  

before and after 

detail of characters around rocket damage 

designboom has received this project through its ‘DIY submissions’ feature, which welcomes readers to submit their own work for publication. see more designboom readers submissions here.

edited by: nick brink | designboom