Shatila: The island of (in)stability

The Palestinian refugee camp Shatila in the heart of Beirut has become the poster-child of the refugee crisis. In this exhibition, using material from the Master project of Bjørnar Skaar Haveland from the Bergen School of Architecture, engages in a form of architectural anthropology; where the built environment is mapped and used together with traditional forms of research as a starting point to link the lived experience of displacement to the architecture of the camp.

An imaginary aid project; a hotel for journalists and researchers funding the camp infrastructure, is used as a narrative tool to provoke as well as highlight aspects of Shatila’s politics and the roles of western aid, NGOs and researchers.

The exhibition is divided in 3 parts.

1. Introduction and a look at how Shatila functions in the urban fabric of Beirut
2. Mapping of Shaila’s built environment
3. The hotel

The exhibition is open every day between 09:00 and 15:00.