Residency + Research

Rana Haddad and Pascal Hachem are influential figures in Beirut's & international cultural scene. Operating at the intersection of activism and art, their performances, interventions and practices address overlooked aspects of places, languages and objects, offering alternative narratives. By focusing on urban contentions that affect citizens on a daily basis, they ignite debates and challenge socio-political measures through simple yet impactful gestures. Their public installations have taken them from Beirut to international stages in Mantes La Jolie, France; Fribourg, Geneva, Bern and Lausanne, Switzerland; Algiers and Bejayya, Algeria; Turin and Rome, Italy; Istambul, Turkey; Dresden, Germany, Wellington, New Zealand, AlUla, KSA and recently Mexico. Their works have graced prestigious institutions worldwide, including Desert X ALUla 2024, KSA; the Mosaic Rooms, UK; the Gwangju Museum of Art, South Korea; the Mario Merz Foundation, Italy; the Museum of Modern Art Milwaukee, USA; the Grand-Hornu, Belgium; the Mudac, Switzerland; the Dresden Kunsthaus, Germany; Venice Biennale, Italy. The works are part of several prestigious art collections, including The Kamel Lazaar Foundation in Tunisia, the Nadour Collection in Germany, the Farook Collection in Dubai, and the Galila Barzilai-Hollander Collection in Belgium. Their artistic endeavors have recently been acknowledged by the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, which acquired notable pieces such as "Debris of Texts and Eyeglasses" and the "Stuck Stick" series.

Research Focus

As part of our proposal for the upcoming Alserkal residency, we explore the idea of “echo-logy”—how our actions echo through the environment, shaping the world we all share. Through installations and community workshops, we’ll reflect on our place within nature, not above it. Inspired by the UAE’s rich landscape and traditional ecological knowledge, we hope to engage with local voices to better understand environmental challenges like cloud seeding and desalination. This journey is about listening, learning, and creating art that gently invites conversations around care, connection, and sustainability.