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!

Al Jazeera English Features BIM

We're thrilled to be featured on Earthrise, a great show on Al Jazeera English about all things environmental. Click on the link below to check out the 5 minute clip on YouTube !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1_AzSQ3XCQ&feature=share

Have you heard of Green Prophet, the leading voice for green news in the Middle East ? They loved 10453 and sat down to interview Camille & Denise. Check out the links to two in depth articles of our show!

Interview: http://www.greenprophet.com/2012/07/lebanon-trash-theatre/

Reflections: http://www.greenprophet.com/2012/07/10453-trash-play-lebanon/

Everyday Trash

We are thrilled to be featured on Everydaytrash.com, a NYC based blog that examines the art and politics of the world through the lens of garbage.  Check out our interview:

http://everydaytrash.com/2012/07/17/trash-spectacles-in-lebanon/

10453 Video Teaser

Our lovely videographer, Zeina Aboul Hosn, put together a great 1 minute video teaser of the 10453 performance in Tyre.

Check it out on our YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1Pl9lTntlU&feature=plcp&noredirect=1

10453 in Tyre, Lebanon

It was a beautiful performance.  Thank you to all those who welcomed us and joined us on the corniche of Tyre, Lebanon on Saturday June 30. Some photos below....

Group Scene from 10453

Actor Daniel Balabane

 Actor Hadi Deaibess

Actor Kholoud Nasser

Scene from afar on the Corniche of Tyre, Lebanon

10453: A Story About Life in 1 km sq of Trash.

Where Maria Callas, heavy metal and plastic collide

to create an adventurous, upcycled trash performance!

It all begins Saturday, June 23 at 6:30 pm 

on the Al Kahrab Corniche of Tyre, Lebanon

( Located between Al Fanar/Lighthouse and the Makbaret; Opposite the old city)

Time Out Beirut

Time Out Beirut features The (B)IM Project in the Stage section of their June edition, out now!

Elle Orientale meets Camille

Elle Orientale interviews (B)IM writer & director, Camille Brunel Aoun about theatre and the poetry of trash.  

Pick up a copy of the June edition (On stands this week!) to learn more about Camille and her inspiration for the upcoming (B)IM summer production :)

BIM & T.E.R.R.E. LIBAN

Lebanon is full of surprises.

Nestled in the hills of Baabda is a beautiful 18th century Franco-Lebanese home, currently used as the headquarters for environmental ngo,  T.E.R.R.E Liban. Their mission? To sensitize young Lebanese

on issues concerning public health and sustainable development, to promote peace and to educate about the preservation of natural resources through conferences, leadership building and practical projects.

Among other activities, T.E.R.R.E Liban offers their grounds as a sorting facility. Check out the photos of sorted plastics, metals and paper below! And be sure to check out T.E.R.R.E Liban at the our shows :)

BIM in Recycled Art & Design Exhibit

The #Upcycling #Art trend has hit Beirut, Lebanon.

"Trashy Treasures," a recycled art and design exhibit, opens tomorrow at L'Atelier Mar Mikael, from 6- 9 PM. The exhibition brings together a group of artists, designers and environmentalists to address the eminent issue of waste by transforming discarded materials into a creative and colorful variety of objects, furniture, accessories, sculpture and art works. The show continues until June 22 ( the night before BIM 4 opening in Tyre!)

We're exhibiting an installation made from plastic water bottles & ink ( Thank You BIMKleen Volunteers!), designed by BIM installation artist, Dina Mahmoud.

Take a peek below... it's a flavor of what's to come in our upcoming show !

BIMkleen

Every Saturday morning, from 9 -12, BIMkleen hits the streets in and around Beirut, picking up plastic waste from the community. Thank you to all our volunteers, and to today's new addition, Hana Bakkar, from Ras el Nabaa!  See you next weekend :)

BIM in Beyond

Pick up the Spring issue of Beyond Magazine- Lebanon's own environmentally focused magazine- currently on stands. Check out the spread on The (B)IM Project's previous and upcoming work!

  

Time To Rehearse

A stellar cast: Tony Kahoush, Daniel Balabane, Hadi Deaibess, Raghda Moawad & Kholoud Nasser
+ A hard working stage manager: Assil Ayyash
+ A creative writer/director: Camille Brunel Aoun
+ Piles of garbage
+ More garbage
+ Even more garbage
+ A beautiful space, graciously donated to us by Zico House.
= Time to Rehearse BIM 4 !

In the coming weeks, we'll share more photos of our exciting work in progress, but for now we leave you with this quote, visible on the facade of Zico House, a true supporter of the arts and artists working in Lebanon:

                                                   "Imagination Helps Art Rid Reality Of Its Tricks"

The Final Countdown

Tomorrow, we begin our final rehearsals for BIM 4! 

We’d like to take a moment to acknowledge all those who participated in our workshop development phase and contributed to our project:

Concept Development... Lucien Bourjeily, Randy Ginsburg  & Nadine Touma 

Performers: Joan Baz, Hadi Deaibess, David Habchy, Raghda Mouawad, Hussein Nakhal, Dana Mikhail, Habib Rahmeh & Aurelian Zouki

Research/Advice/ Hosting: Apparacida Awad, Lamia, Jihan, Manal, Kara Molina Johnson, Mona Mouallem, Ziad Samaha, Alexandra Schneider & George Zouein

Thank You! 

And a Special Thanks to Zico House and the Theatre Communications Group :)

Testing the Waters

Our puppet designer went to the sea to test out some mock-up puppets of fish he made out of wire and trash.



It is difficult to manipulate large puppets in the air, as they will unintentionally catch the wind. Manipulating large scale puppets (non pun intended) in the sea is even more difficult because of water weight. It will take a series of experiments and tests to work out a drainage method which allows the puppeteers to gracefully lift the puppets from under the sea.



Here's a sneak peek!

Séjour in Sour, Day 2

Abu Eli

Fishermen weigh the catch of the day

Fishermen fold their nets after plucking the catch

Fish

The morning catch

The next morning, we rose at 530 AM. Outside our staircase, three men were seated on the steps, skillfully making multiple hook bait lines and placing them in large baskets. They were amused by our interest in them and their stories.

We continued down into the port’s café, where several fishermen were having their morning coffee. We met Abu Eli, a 60 year old fisherman. “Fishing is not a job, but a way of life,” he said. His father and his grandfather were fishermen, but he didn’t want his sons to join the trade. “My son is in the army instead. Fishermen are like bums, a dying breed,” he told us. According to him, the biggest problem he faces is illegal fishing. Some fishermen use nets that are too narrow and baby fish get caught. If a 1/2 lira coin passes through, the net is large enough and thus legal. Then he showed us his face and pointed to the goggle marks around his eyes. “ I prefer being in the water, like a fish,” he said with a grin.

We boarded a little boat that had just dock in the port. In the heaps of nets, several fish were still squirming. Abu Eli began plucking fish from the nets and counting the morning catch. He estimated the total catch to be worth 20,000 Lebanese lira (approximately $13 USD). The amount barely covers the cost of gas per trip out to sea.

Abu Eli taught us how to gut a fish, while several hungry cats lingered at our feet, hoping to catch a discarded scrap. As the sun began to shine, the trading began. On their mobile phones, the fishermen began bargaining with restaurant and personal clients. Using an old fashioned scale in the market, they weighed their fish, haggling and shooing away the hungry cats.

Les Merveilles de la Mer/ Wonders of the Sea

About 15 minutes outside of Beirut lies a hidden treasure. Les Merveilles de la Mer is an old Lebanese home converted into an aquarium/ sea museum.

We went to take a closer look at marine life in Lebanon in order to inform our design choices. Our costume designer was interested in the textures and colors of shells found along the Mediterranean while our puppet designer spent hours observing the movements of sea creatures.

It was a fantastic and inspiring mini day trip.