Why a social and cultural centre in Fraykeh?
Gilles A.D.
Lebanon is one of those countries on the fringes of global decision-making, overwhelmed by its formidable ambivalence. It is a small country, a mosaic of values, beliefs, diverse ideas and oppositions; in short, it is an accumulation of these differences and their contrasts.
Maison Fraykeh, a nineteenth-century silkworm nursery that has been the fruit of human endeavour and an exceptional artistic context since 1972, is a place for expressing these margins, these thresholds, these sides, these fields of turbulence, these experiences. Through its unique features, the Maison Fraykeh aims to express the ephemerality of the moment, the density of memory, the pugnacity of time or times of contradiction.
The aim of the House is to contribute to the development of Lebanese art and culture, in all its authenticity, its human dimension and its deep roots in the consciousness of the people and in all its diversity, whether traditional, modern or contemporary. This House will therefore be a place for exchange and debate between all categories of people, whether they are committed artists, professionals or amateurs, from the bourgeoisie or the more modest social classes. The principle is that these meetings take place around subjects of great quality and interest.