Collective for Architecture Lebanon (CAL): The Land Remembers

Curated by Collective for Architecture Lebanon (Edouard Souhaid, Shereen Doummar, Elias Tamer and Lynn Chamoun), the Lebanese Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of The Venice Biennale, titled The Land Remembers presents a fictional ministry—The Ministry of Land Intelligens –dedicated to healing the land from ecocide and to building a dynamic archive of this intentional destruction. It asserts that, before architecture, there is land and that architects must take on a more active role in our engagement with the natural environment. The pavilion treats with urgency the crisis of ecocide and is, therefore, not merely an exhibition but a call to action—a space for activism that confronts visitors with the stark reality of the intentional devastation of the natural environment. The Land Remembers invites them to participate in shaping an alternative future where non-humans and humans both can thrive.

Lebanon is on the brink of losing its very essence due to decades of war, unchecked urbanization, and political instability. Environmental degradation has reached catastrophic levels, accelerated by warfare and the deliberate destruction of nature. Land that has sustained life for millennia is now poisoned—its soil and water contaminated by heavy metals, incendiary weapons, debris, and the deliberate, targeted destruction of agricultural fields and groves. These acts of ecocide have destroyed entire communities, displacing them and rendering once-thriving landscapes into barren, uninhabitable wastelands. For example, in 2024, the increased use of white phosphorus devastated vast stretches of land, leaving behind a toxic legacy that may never be reversed. The systematic erasure of Lebanon’s ecology is not only an environmental crisis—it is an existential issue.

At the core of our research lies a fundamental question: how can we heal the land to build for future generations?

The Ministry of Land Intelligens, which advocates for policy change, is structured into four departments: The Department of Ecocide Reports / The Department of Counter-Mapping / The Department of Endemic Species / The Department of Strategic Healing.

The Ministry of Land Intelligens will continue to operate beyond Venice, amplifying its call for action. The publication accompanying the pavilion is the dynamic archive of the ministry – a living document that collects research, testimonies, and strategies for healing. Through this work, the ministry builds a knowledge network to ensure that the destruction witnessed today does not define tomorrow.

Commisioner: Jad Tabet, Ministry of Culture / Organizer: Lebanese Federation of Engineers (Wael Debs) / Curator: Collective for Architecture Lebanon (CAL): Edouard Souhaid (co-curator), Shereen Doummar (co-curator), Elias Tamer (co-curator), Lynn Chamoun (co-curator).

Exhibitors: Karim Emile Bitar, Rami Zurayk, Public Works Studio, Green Southerners, Mohamed Choucair, Earth Preservation Project, Aude Abou Nasr, Munira Khayyat, Jala Makhzoumi, TheOtherDada, Leila Darwish, Jouzour Loubnan, Amy Chiniara, Charbel Samuel Aoun, Beirut Urban Lab, Nathalie El Mir.