THANK YOU VERY MUCH ! We have reached the most important step but we can still reward you with books, and we still have 8 limited 1/1 prints format 40x60 to choose here

Let's make it HUGE NOW !

What is this ?

Chemistry is a triple artistic project built around photography, graffiti and encounters. Initially a "simple" book, chemistry has been transformed into an 8-day festival that will take place in several places in Belgium.

Our goal?

Create and distribute a quality book with the help of researchers, graffiti artists and reporters in order to make this world so distant and so close at the same time better known.
Our project is multidisciplinary: we encourage artists, with graffiti background or not, to come and collaborate during the residency which will take place from 3/07 to 06/07. See you on 29/06 for the presentation of the project!
Symbolically recreate the atmosphere of Beirut by organizing an "open" residency. This means that it will take place in a living space, at Allée du KAAI. Half social centre, half relaxation place, the artists will create in the middle of the public in the main hall.
The public is encouraged to come and exchange with the many artists present; the deconstruction of prejudices through art and exchange is at the heart of our approach.
Inter-cultural exchanges, the dismantling of prejudges, learning through artistic practice, breaking down barriers between disciplines, a place of discovery and information and meeting the Other are the foundations of our approach.

« CHEMISTRY » - How did we get there ? :

"To seize opportunities is not a matter of luck ...."

In 2010 I lived in Argentina and I discovered the maté, a legendary traditional drink in the "gauchos", based on leaves that are infused in a calabash. Having learned about the high consumption of this drink in Lebanon, I decided to go on a report on the subject. But as often, things do not go as planned.

« CHEMISTRY »- Meetings :

Very soon, I meet DISEK, a French graffiti artist who travels the world to paint.

We share a lot about graffiti and hip-hop, he naturally introduces me to three other graffiti artists, SPAZ, MEUH and EXIST who are part of the emerging Beirut scene and with whom he has been painting for a few days. They all consume maté and we quickly find a topic of inexhaustible exchange. We spend several days to graf together.

It is often said in Argentina that the maté has a soul, all these coincidences are so surreal that I begin to believe it.

In 19 films and 75 bombs later, I had the pleasure of immortalizing these moments on films and I decided to make a book on the subject.

The way back. When I return to Belgium, I contact a friend who is a big consumer of maté too. I talk to him about what I have just experienced and we quickly understand that doing a book would not do enough credit for this experience. There are too many protagonists to speak on their behalf. Graffiti artists, researchers, and friends must be brought in and we need to make these worlds coexist. We therefore decide to organize an artistic and cultural residency to create a place of exchange between Brussels and Beirut that will present the free and legal Graffiti I had the chance to see.

« CHEMISTRY - THE PROJECT » was born.

The rest is for us all to write (except the book, that's mine!)

« CHEMISTRY » - The Book :

In addition to a narrative in analog photographies, sometimes abstract and technical, sometimes human and symbolic, the book is composed of texts accompanying the photos and giving depth to the project written by Josephine Parenthou, a reference on graffiti in Beirut following her university work on the subject. Spaz and Exist add a small page of sketches and you will find other surprises.

Chemistry and alchemy appear as metaphors representing the interactions between the population and the artists, themselves linked by the chemistry of their bombs and films, an interaction that is gradually transformed into a real alchemy within the group. This will be the first time that the intimacy of the Graffiti scene in Beirut will be presented in a photo book.

The book is printed in Belgium, in a high quality format. For the first edition, we do not make any restrictions on quality. Cover 340gr with padding, interior 200gr satin finish, more than 120 pages and 88 pictures, etc....

We would like to tell you more, but it would spoil the pleasure of discovery.

Find more infos here if you are too curious!

PS : it has changed a LOT !

«CHEMISTRY » - Residency 29/06 to 07/07

The project is followed by a residence that will host SPAZ, EXIST, MEUH, KABRIT, FILIB, NUSH of Lebanon, accompanied by the collectives PROPAGANZA and FARM PROD for a period of 8 days. The residence will take place mainly in the Allée du KAAI and will be open to anyone who wishes to share or engrave with them in order to try to reproduce the experience I had in Beirut. This is a first in Belgium and will make it possible to highlight the artistic relations between our two countries, often forgotten in favour of France-Lebanon relations.

An exhibition will also be organized. The graffiti artists present will produce unique works for it. Joséphine Parenthou will hold an opening conference on 29/06 to explain how graffiti in Beirut appears as an innovative scene in the eyes of others and we hope to welcome researchers from Brussels. We will broadcast documentaries and organize several happenings during the week.

In order to remain in the spirit of crowdfunding, we pre-sell works that will be exhibited at the end of the residency at a very attractive price. (Format 45x60 (8 LEFT !!), single edition (1/1), digraphy certificate, printed on 300g Fine Art paper at APP photo Lab and laminated on alu-dibond).

FIND THE OFFICIAL PLANNING HERE

Why help us?

Our main costs are in 2 areas where all the funds collected are spent:

(1) planes and trains for artists (1500€).
(2) the equipment (625€), the rental of the place (450€) and its layout (500€).

The GOOD NEWS:

We made a lot of friends!!!!!

Graffiti materials (bombs and markers) are fortunately donated by Loop Colors, our official sponsor!
Documentary filmmakers and speakers make a gesture and come or broadcast for free, as well as the collective FARM PROD and PROPAGANZA who will come to paint and meet Lebanese artists!
The valley and the alley of the KAAI have made a real effort to make this event happen, a big thank you!
Kayari will provide us Yerba Maté for the whole week !

CHEMISTRY GRAFFITI

The publications