Happy Holidays

As 2012 comes to a close, The (B)IM Project wishes you 

a safe and happy holiday season!

2012 was a special year for our collective. With the support of a grant from The Theatre Communications Group, we ended 2011 with a workshop period for our new production. We started 2012 with a bang, winning The Ideaz Prize and securing valuable support and sponsorship from Dunkin Donuts, Classic Burger and Sustainable Environmental Solutions. We cast a stellar group of actors, managers and designers under the direction of Camille Brunel-Aoun and performed 10,453 km2 in June and July along the coast of Lebanon. If you missed our show, check out the links below:

10,453 km2 was featured on Al Jazeera's Earthrise TV program 

10,453 km2 received great press coverage from around the world, including features on EverydayTrash.com , Green Prophet,  ELLE Orientale , Al Akhbar News, & L'Hebdo.

As always, our work is not possible without the support of family, friends and fans- thank you to all who have helped us by volunteering, interning, donating, spreading the word and coming to our shows! If you would like to make a donation this holiday season, just click here :)

See you in 2013!

BIM featured in Nahar ash-Shabab Newspaper

BIM in RAGMAG Magazine

Pick up the March issue of RAGMAG magazine to read about BIM and the upcoming June 2012 production!

Séjour in Sour, Day 1

Boats at Sea

Docked boats and garbage in the harbor of Tyre

Christian corner in Tyre Harbor

Spanish Nets

Harbor cats & fishing nets

As part of our on-site research, we took a trip down to the fishing town of Tyre (‘ Sour’ in Arabic). We went to collect stories and images about fishermen, their lifestyles, and the problems they faced, such as overfishing and trash pollution. All of this information will inform the creation of our next show.

Tyre is famed for its fishing port and ancient Roman and Phoenician ruins peppered around the city and even underwater.

We stayed in a beautiful, 150 year old Lebanese home located in the old Christian quarter, overlooking the port and footsteps away from where the fishermen gathered daily for coffee, cards and trade.

On the first day we met with Lamia, a UN coordinator who oversees the Tyre youth program. She told us about previous events that took place in Tyre to engage youth in recycling. When we told her we were interested in fishermen, she immediately called her good friend Michael, a fisherman.

Michael joined us for a coffee. His main words: “It’s all luck.” The key to finding fish is to follow where birds go to dive for fish. Michael stressed that fishing is the most vulnerable trade in Lebanon. The fishermen do not have a union to protect their wages and their well-being and livelihood is completely dependent upon what the sea offers. It’s all based on luck, weather, the tides, and things beyond their control.

Another story he told us was about the time his friend spotted a two ton tuna fish. It was such a frightening sight that he couldn’t speak for a few minutes. After he regaled this amazing story, they captured the giant tuna, took it on shore and mummified it. It is still here.

Michael invited us to join him in the port the next morning and experience his daily routine as a fisherman, an offer we took up...

BIM Goes Aquatic

(Photo: Indra's Cloud by Anne Percoco. Check out her brilliant work with recycled materials!)

BIM is currently workshopping the 2012 production, a tour that will take place in fishing enclaves along the Mediterranean coast of Lebanon.

We are devising a story that involves movement, puppets and live music. The play will take place in and out of water and touch upon themes of fishermen, sea creatures and the Mediterranean. Moreover, our themes will bring awareness to major problems in Lebanon: the pollution of the marine environment, the lack of recycling and excessive waste. As a result, we are designing a show where all scenery, props & costumes are made from recycled material collected from actual Lebanese shores and trashes.

In the upcoming blog posts, we will share the steps of our research and workshop process.

Enjoy!