By Randa Mirza

The Pigeons’ Rock is a natural landmark located at Beirut city’s westernmost tip. The two emblematic huge rock formations, which stand like gigantic sentinels, are surrounded by a rocky wasteland known as Dalieh. For decades, this vast terrain has acted as an ‘open access shared space’ for a wide variety of city dwellers. A community of swimmers, composed mainly of men, indulge in a hobby in which feat competes with exhibitionism. 

Randa Mirza’s photographs emphasis an exaggerated display of machismo that defines homosocial relations in patriarchal societies. The only woman taking part in the spectacle is behind the lens. The photographs embody a lurking paradox - the timelessness of Beirut in spite of the threat of development. Since summer 2014, rapid transformations have abruptly interrupted the social and economic life of Dalieh. A civil campaign was started against the privatization of this land which was initially titled "The last that remains".