AA Photo
A Lebanese visual artist is transforming shrapnel, metal and other debris collected from buildings hit by Israeli attacks into sculptures and art objects, preserving the remnants as silent witnesses to the destruction and displacement caused by war.
Lina Jouni began working with the materials after returning home following Israel’s 2024 attacks on Lebanon. While sorting through the rubble around her home, including broken glass, stones, metal and cables, she realized the debris carried traces of a period that should not be forgotten.
After initially experimenting with glass, she turned to shrapnel, preserving its rust, curves and marks while making minimal alterations. The fragments have since become her artistic tools, taking the shape of faces, hands and abstract figures.
Some of the materials are collected by Jouni herself, while others are brought to her by people in the community. Through her work, she documents the destruction caused by Israeli attacks and preserve the memory of events, including the killings in Nabatieh, the 2024 pager explosions and attacks on vehicles. “I approached shrapnel as something capable of carrying history,” Jouni said. “I turned these pieces, which symbolize destruction, into instruments of life that tell the story of our survival.”
She said collecting the materials remained difficult, as some areas hit during the 2024 war were still inaccessible due to security risks and the presence of drones.
Describing reconstruction and the restoration of life as the central themes of her work, she said: “We experienced war and displacement, and we suffered. We need life again. Rebuilding means bringing life back.”
“We have materials, land and labor. We can build a new life and reconstruct at a lower cost,” she added.
