the Cooper Union School of Art Interdisciplinary Seminar

Tony Chakar

The Eighth Day: God Created the World in Seven Days. This is the Eighth Day.

This lecture took place on April 13th, 2009 at 7:00 pm in the Wollman Auditorium at the Cooper Union

Lecture introduction

“The Eighth Day” is an ongoing investigation, currently taking the form of a lecture-performance series, that began in the aftermath of the Israeli attacks on Lebanon in July 2006, however not directly related to these attacks. During and after the Israeli military operation, images from Lebanon’s recent past (the civil wars of 1975-1990) inundated public realms (space and psyche) as well as discourse – becoming, at times, very difficult to endure – proving that the Lebanese wars (regarded as Catastrophic) are still cast in the unspoken. The Eighth day weaves a collection of elements – texts, images, songs, videos, publicity spots, etc.– that are metaphorical manifestations of the space and time of the Catastrophe, and attempts to identify the necessary strategies for redeeming the past-as-image.

About Tony Chakar

Tony Chakar is an architect and writer, born in Beirut in 1968. his works include: A Retroactive Monument for a Chimerical City: Ashkal Alwan, Beirut (1999); All That is Solid Melts Into Air: Ashkal Alwan, Beirut (2000); Four Cotton Underwear for Tony: Ashkal Alwan, TownHouse Gallery, Cairo, also shown in many European cities as part of Contemporary Arab Representations, a project curated by Catherine David (2001-02); Rouwaysset, a Modern Vernacular (With Naji Assi): Contemporary Arab Representations, the Sharjah Biennial and Sao Paolo, S.A.(2001-03); Beirut, the Impossible Portrait: The Venice Biennial (2003); The Eyeless Map: Ashkal Alwan, Beirut (2003); My Neck is Thinner than a Hair (2004), a lecture/performance with Walid Raad and Bilal Khbeiz, shown in different locations around the world; A Window to the World (2005): Ashkal Alwan, Beirut; Various Small Fires (2007): The Royal College of Art, London; Memorial to the Iraq War (2007): ICA, London;Yesterday’s Man (2007): a play-performance with Rabih Mroué and Tiago Rodrigues showing in several European cities; The Eighth Day (2008): Lecture/performance shown in many European cities.

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