The Drift: Care and Repair in Contemporary Lebanon. Issue 1 (2nd January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Brennan, Maeve
• Is Part Of: Third text. Volume 32:Issue 1(2018)
• Page Start: 101
• Page End: 123
• Publication Date: 2018-01-02
• Subjects: Maeve Brennan -- The Drift -- Beqaa Valley -- repair -- preservation -- archaeology in Lebanon -- artefact smuggling -- politics of care -- Britel -- American University of Beirut -- Jerusalem Pink; Art and society -- Periodicals; Art -- Developing countries -- 20th century -- Periodicals; Developing countries -- Intellectual life -- Periodicals; 700.91724
• DOI: 10.1080/09528822.2018.1459112
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0952-8822

Abstract

Abstract: This article consists of an introductory text and visual essay based on The Drift, a fifty-one-minute film produced by Maeve Brennan in 2017. The Drift traces the shifting economies of objects in contemporary Lebanon. The film follows three main characters: the gatekeeper of the Roman temples of Niha in the Beqaa Valley; a young mechanic from Britel, a village known for trading automobile parts; and an archaeological conservator working at the American University of Beirut. Set amongst Lebanon's densely layered archaeological and urban sites, it focuses on the desire to reassemble and rebuild, conjuring an image of masculinity and care in a landscape often associated with conflict. These multiple perspectives offer a complex alternative to reductive media representations, providing us with a 'thicker' description.