Charbel Alkhoury, Not Here__Not There

Not Here__Not There

A towering crane dominates the view from my bedroom window, captivating me with its sheer presence. The blinking green light of the crane begins to flash inside my room, unexpectedly opening a portal. This portal initiates a voyage, a continuous loop through a wormhole that connects two distinct points in spacetime. Yet, within this infinite loop, I find myself suspended between two universes, bereft of a clear destination. 

The crane becomes a portal, a gateway to my past life—a bridge to an alternate reality I once inhabited. It evokes memories of Beirut, a city marked by constant reconstruction, its skyline adorned with cranes, a city by the Mediterranean Sea, its waters full of hopes and death. As Beirut is itself in constant reconstruction, the use of the crane in the project as a “found object” now symbolizes the rebuilding of the self. Furthermore, I became obsessed with documenting the crane through photographing it and filming it every day, similar to how I used to capture the sights of my home in Beirut with my mobile camera and a handycam. In this ritual of capturing the crane’s motion, a parallel emerges, transporting me back and forth between two alternate universes.

“Not Here__Not There” focuses on the inner turmoil of the mind and the visual memories that linger in the aftermath of departure. It primarily centers around being stuck in the in-between, accepting this reality, and embracing the associated identity. The monumental installation is a dedication for the outcasts who had to leave decades and rebuild their lives over and over again. It is an homage to friends, family, and everyone seeking refuge in a new universe, as well as a tribute to anyone grieving their past self.