Chronicles of the Ongoing

Through photography and intimate testimonies, Chronicles of the Ongoing is a search for closeness in times of war, piecing together personal and collective memories of 2024’s Israeli military escalation in Lebanon and its lasting impact.

During the Israeli military escalation in Lebanon in 2024, I found myself in a state of freeze, feeling alert and paralysed at the same time. It wasn’t until after the ceasefire on November 27, 2024, that I felt more able to document the war's impact on people's lives.

I met with friends and asked them about their experiences of the war, particularly regarding turning points: the beginning of the war in October 2023; the rising tensions culminating in the summer and the anticipation of an Israeli ground invasion; the pagers attack in September 2024; the massive Israeli bombing campaign a few days later; the killing of Hassan Nasrallah in a series of airstrikes; and the daily bombings that followed until the ceasefire, which few believed in at the time, rightfully so.

During the escalation, looking at data such as dates, maps, and infographics helped me process the overwhelming scale of the war. I recalled events chronologically with my friends, asking them where they were, how they felt and reacted during the war, and how they are feeling now with the ongoing assaults despite the ceasefire. This process became a way of reconnecting with them, as well as getting a sense of the collective struggle through individual perspectives.