VEHICLES OF MEMORY is a short film exploring the present memory of Beirut through the lens of the taxi driver. The film has a constant reference to Martyrs square which acts as a compass for the city, connecting 4 major districts including the Corniche, Bachoura, Gemmayze and Hamra.

Martyrs Square is the static surveillance for the city with people crossing its path throughout the day and taking a moment to remember. The taxi service is the mobile apparatus for surveillance that relentlessly searches for passengers to cross paths and temporary borders. A conversation emerges between the taxi drivers that operates on 3 levels of memory:

1_Collective memory through the physical boundary of the Green Line
2_Subjective memory through the object of the Martyrs Square postcard
3_Objective memory through the National symbol of the Martyrs Square Statue

VEHICLES OF MEMORY is a project that was completed within the UTS Masters of Architecture: Social Transformations Studio 2009 run by Adrian Lahoud and Samantha Spurr. The subject included an intensive trip to Beirut in conjunction with the American University of Beirut.

© Nora Niasari 2009
this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence full terms at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0