The launching of the book MUTE MOVEMENTS:
a collective performance art journey through Beirut 2009-2014
by Cornelia Krafft / Artist, Choreographer
Designed by Christian Ipsum Moussa
* Generously sponsored by the AUB President's Club.
* Published by AUB Press
* In commemoration of the American University of Beirut’s 150th Anniversary Celebration in 2016

The first book of its kind in Lebanon, Mute Movements documents the emergence of a Performance Art scene in Lebanon under the direction of Cornelia Krafft, artist, choreographer, and former assistant professor at the American University of Beirut. The book illustrates the collective work of students and artists (aged 19 to 25) exploring their everyday challenges and concerns through the medium of performance.

Captured in high-quality photographs and narrated through the performers’ own words, Mute Movements invites the reader to embark on an inspirational journey through modern-day Lebanon as seen through the eyes of these young artists striving to confront internal and external challenges on the personal, national, and regional levels.

Their “mute” performances, situated in provocative locations, demanded attention and triggered debate. Played out in unorthodox settings – abandoned buildings, war ruins, along the sea shore, in city streets and run-down cinemas – these performances required almost as much of the spectators as of the players with their fundamental questioning of issues of collective relevance: social responsibility, personal and regional identity, cultural heritage, censorship, conflict, freedom, and repression.

The book’s minimalistic aesthetic and design enfold a wealth of artistic images, an extraordinary record of the evolution of Performance Art in Lebanon across five fertile years of artistic endeavor. Across the pages of the book, each performance unfolds in documentary-like fashion, revealing the extent to which contemporary education in the fields of performance, set design, and visual arts can engage and inspire its audiences. While the focus is on Lebanon and its youth, the bigger picture is a work in progress with relevance extending far beyond the borders of one small country, making Mute Movements a valuable and highly enjoyable reference work of international importance.