After receiving a string of messages on his phone about youngsters burning tires and blocking roads, Marwan Tahtah decided to venture out on his moped and see for himself what was going on in Beirut on that Thursday evening of October 17, 2019. He quickly observed scenes of protests and riots comprising the beginning of the "October 17 revolution," which he promptly captured with his camera. As events continued unfolding at a rapid rate in the following weeks, Marwan, a photographer and photojournalist, used his lens to create snapshots of the developments ushering Lebanon through one of the most monumental periods in the country’s recent history.

Keeping an eye on what was going on, and another eye on the flow of pictures documenting it, it wasn't difficult to identify Marwan Tahtah's photos as a cut above the rest. It's not that his pictures are the most graphic in terms of reporting, the most exhaustive in terms of documentation, or the most sensational in terms of impact but... in a sense, they are contrary to all of this. While conveying the tensions and anxieties of "October 17" dynamics, they do it in such a graceful way that one is inclined to think that Marwan operates not as an aggressive ambusher in a rush to fulfill his mission but as a serene sharpshooter prescient of what will unfurl in his line of sight! And thus, with a focus on careful contemplation and nuanced reflection, UMAM D&R decided to immerse The Hangar in a photo exhibition of Marwan's work.

Photos: Marwan Tahtah
Scenography: Monika Borgmann-Slim & Ayman Nahle
In cooperation with Dar Al Jadid

After receiving a string of messages on his phone about youngsters burning tires and blocking roads, Marwan Tahtah decided to venture out on his moped and see for himself what was going on in Beirut on that Thursday evening of October 17, 2019. He quickly observed scenes of protests and riots comprising the beginning of the "October 17 revolution," which he promptly captured with his camera. As events continued unfolding at a rapid rate in the following weeks, Marwan, a photographer and photojournalist, used his lens to create snapshots of the developments ushering Lebanon through one of the most monumental periods in the country’s recent history.

Keeping an eye on what was going on, and another eye on the flow of pictures documenting it, it wasn't difficult to identify Marwan Tahtah's photos as a cut above the rest. It's not that his pictures are the most graphic in terms of reporting, the most exhaustive in terms of documentation, or the most sensational in terms of impact but... in a sense, they are contrary to all of this. While conveying the tensions and anxieties of "October 17" dynamics, they do it in such a graceful way that one is inclined to think that Marwan operates not as an aggressive ambusher in a rush to fulfill his mission but as a serene sharpshooter prescient of what will unfurl in his line of sight! And thus, with a focus on careful contemplation and nuanced reflection, UMAM D&R decided to immerse The Hangar in a photo exhibition of Marwan's work.

Photos: Marwan Tahtah
Scenography: Monika Borgmann-Slim & Ayman Nahle
In cooperation with Dar Al Jadid

The Making Of...