Post-destructive Resilience investigates rubble shaped by human and non-human destruction, examining how they record cycles of collapse and regeneration. In Lebanon, where rebuilding is a recurring condition, rubble operates as both a physical residue and a symbolic archive of loss, endurance, and adaptation. By exposing photographic images directly onto fragments of plaster, stone, and concrete, the project explores how life re-emerges within sites of ruin, transforming debris into material witnesses.

The work considers post-destruction ecologies, focusing on how pioneer species such as rosebay willow herb and the “stinking tree” colonise damaged ground, alongside the cultural and ecological significance of the cedar of Lebanon. Together, these elements reveal the entanglement of material decay, ecological resilience, and collective memory embedded within the landscape.

A visit to Lebanon, particularly Beirut, revealed a city marked by visible destruction yet rich in creativity, culture, and artistic response. This experience led me to investigate how rubble has been reused as a material for regeneration, from UNDP-supported rebuilding projects in Syria to recycled concrete and glass used by artists following the 2020 Beirut port explosion. Precedents such as the Lebanon Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Biennale also further inform my approach to this work.

Due to the high alkalinity of the materials, the photographic process allows images to emerge slowly and unevenly. This disrupts the chemistry of the cyanotype, producing partial, eroded, or ghosted impressions. These imperfections echo the way vegetation infiltrates damaged architecture and how ecological systems adapt within sites of ruin.

Post-destructive resilience reflects on how landscapes, materials, and communities continue to adapt beyond moments of collapse, foregrounding renewal as an ongoing, fragile, and persistent condition rather than a definitive end.