Final Publication of the project
Reloading Images: Damascus /
Work in Progress 2008 published by The Green Box in
collaboration with the Prince Claus Fund Library. The book is
available in colour, 244 pages, from the publisher and through
selected distributors in Damascus. ISBN 978-3-941644-12-0.
You can also
order the book online.

“Damascus: Tourists, Artists, Secret Agents” is a pseudo-fictitious
encounter of artists, dancers, secret agents, speculative writers,
lovers, film-makers and photographers who come together to unravel
the rumours, questions and traces of the mysterious disappearances
that happen in the subconscious urban setting of one of the world’s
oldest cities.
The narrative takes place in Damascus in 2008. Three people
suddenly disappear: Zaat al-Abed, a presumed secret agent, Leena
Kilkka, curator of the Damascus Biennial, an event that never
happens, and a flâneur, whose diary is accidentally lost and found…
It is a textual and visual narrative, that emerged out of the
collaboration of more than thirty international artists and
writers.

“Damascus: Tourists, Artists, Secret Agents” concludes an artistic
research project which took place in Damascus in October 2008 and
through an online platform in the months before and after. The
project “Reloading Images: Damascus / Work in Progress 2008”
brought together cultural practitioners from Syria, Germany,
Argentina, Spain, Italy, Turkey, USA, Egypt and Slovakia to discuss
forms of artistic agency and work together on artistic projects
taking the city of Damascus as a starting point.
A series of public lectures and workshops invited 98 Weeks &
Akram Zaatari (Lebanon), Interruptions Magazine (Jordan), Raqs
Media Collective (India), Ubermorgen.com (Austria), Marie Elias
& Orwa Nyrabia (Syria), Wu Ming (Italy), and We Insist
(France/Norway).
“Damascus: Tourists, Artists, Secret Agents” is edited by Kaya
Behkalam, Paula Bugni, Beatrice Catanzaro, Roberto Cavallini, Azin
Feizabadi, Carla Esperanza Tommasini, Sarah Rifky, Ashkan Sepahvand
/ Reloading Images
With contributions by Salina Abaza, Jan Ackenhausen, Woroud
Ahdali, Isa Andreu, Kaya Behkalam, Omar Berakdar, Paula Bugni,
Beatrice Catanzaro, Roberto Cavallini, Mikala Hyldig Dal, Azin
Feizabadi, Soudade Kaadan, Sophia Krey-Kolios, Gabriel Martinez,
Gabriella Micale, Sanna Miericke, Raqs Media Collective, Rania
Mleihi, Ersan Ocak, Juergen Rendl, Sarah Rifky, Adel Samara,
Manuela Scebba, Ashkan Sepahvand, Carla Esperanza Tommasini, Hanadi
Traifeh, Kianoosh Vahabi and Wu Ming 4
Graphic Design / Art Direction by Azin Feizabadi & Anja
Lutz
Project Management by Jan Ackenhausen & Kaya
Behkalam
The publication has been funded by the
European
Delegation, the
European Cultural Foundation, the
Heinrich Böll
Stiftung and the
Prince Claus Fund.