Representing ReBUILD’s work through collage

As part of our commitment to communicating the learning from our research, ReBUILD has been using creative methods. Collage is an artistic technique that involves assembling different forms, materials, and images to create a new whole. Originating from the French word “coller”, meaning “to glue,” the method gained prominence in the early 20th century.

While academics are typically in the business of cold, hard data our work also has an emotional element which is not well communicated through journal articles and PowerPoint presentations. More creative methods of communication can allow academics to connect with the evidence and their experiences working on global health in new and unexpected ways.

Title: Death takes flight

Artist – Ibrahim Bou Orm

This collage represents the contemporary experience of war, experienced in some of the ReBUILD research sites, with particular relevance to the Middle East region. The mixed media collage uses historical depictions of war, some of which are from comic books for boys. It speaks to the pointless repetition of violence and cycles of horror that the world seems unable to stop.

Title: The phoenix: An anatomy of local governance

Artists – Rouham Yamout, Joanna Khalil, Fouad Fouad, Ibrahim Bou Orm, Kate Hawkins, Hayley Stewart, Karen Miller

Using historical documents and promotional materials from the American University of Beirut, newspaper reports and mainstream magazines, this mixed media piece tells the story of the ReBUILD research site in Lebanon. It represents how local agency and capacity have been stimulated to build health systems governance in the face of war, disasters, economic collapse and failed government. It is a story of solidarity and supports grass-roots change.

Title: Walls

Artists – Fouad Fouad, Ibrahim Bou Orm, Samira Abdallah, Joanna Khalil

Created to channel and express the frustration of minoritised scholars moving across borders to share their work, this piece includes original photography alongside more traditional collage materials. It demonstrates the barriers that are erected to prevent the flow of minoritised scholars and their ideas, and the violent enforcement of these damaging rules.

Further information

The team from AUB created another collage piece which was used to illustrate a blog post – From local experiment to national movement: Majdal Anjar’s model for health governance in Lebanon. The collage shows the people involved in the process of creating the Majdal Anjar Municipal Health Committee (MHC), the group’s location, and a shot of the MHC members themselves. Find it here.

Also, here’s a short film in which team members talk about their experiences of collaging.