A Lebanese artist Hayat Nazer used Beirut blast rubble to make an inspiring statue. A woman with no name stands at the port of Beirut hit by the blast. Her arm is raised, the wind is blowing her hair away from the scarred face. There’s a broken clock at her feet showing 6:08. That was when the time two explosions hit Beirut on August 4 in the evening.
This sculpture is built by Lebanese artist Hayat Nazer. It is made from broken glass and twisted materials she took from people’s homes as she volunteered to clean up the debris of the blast that took the lives of 190 people and wounded in excess of 6000. 3 lakh were left homeless.
“If you look at the statue, one half has a leg standing, the hand looks surrendered, there is a scar on the face with the flying hair and the clock on this side, as if the explosion is still happening,” Nazer said.
“But on the other hand and the other leg…is leaning as if it is starting to walk and the hand is raised, it wants to continue, it wants to keep going and rise from the rubble. And this is the truth, this is our truth,” she added.
“I felt like Beirut was a woman…who despite what she suffered…is very strong,” she went on to say.
She drew inspiration from Lebanese singer Majida El Roumi’s ‘Beirut, Lady of the World’ and its lyrics “Rise from under the rubble”. She has not given it a name as she wants the people of her nation to have that honour.
Take a look at the beautiful statue here:
