Beyond painting a portrait of Beirut at a critical time in its recent history, BEHIND THE SHIELD is a reflection on the city and the dichotomies that exist within it, juxtaposing the impactful and the mundane; the colossal and the minute; the urban and the rural. The work also highlights the camera as both a silent observer and a silent participant in the events the city has witnessed. Crucially, it explores the video camera’s transformation from a device that is used to surveil, control, and oppress of the masses, to a tool that gives people agency and grants them a voice.
