Liminal art and curatorial practices : transcribing A.MUSE.UM as a prototype platform in Lebanon

Abstract

This thesis aims to induce a rapprochement between arts and a wider Lebanese audience via exploring notions of liminality with the intention of transcribing A.MUSE.UMthe newly built private studio of Karam in Daroun (Lebanon)- as a prototype platform in Lebanon. The project will argue that by engaging in liminal art practices, coupled with the appropriate outreach strategies, cultural institutions could possibly appeal to a wider Lebanese audience, and thus possibly lead to substantial societal transformations. The project's theoretical framework is mainly based on Victor Turner's concept of liminality and cultural performances. Liminality is then analyzed with respect to Lebanon's context by primarily interpreting and comparing Judith Naeff's suspended now to Turner's research. Consecutively, the performative aspect of Lebanese artist and architect Nadim Karam is taken as a case study to outline his particular artistic approach based on the artist's personal apprehension of the situational, which can be explored per theories of liminality. The aforementioned induced the development of a new platform prototype that would engage a broader Lebanese public through liminal art practices, in particular storytelling and performance art. Consequently, this project suggests practical possibilities to transcribe A.MUSE.UM, as a visitor-centered platform, including participatory and grassroots actions, hence becoming a socially engaged soft power institution.