Mad3oum – value in a state of economic crisis

Mad3oum – value in a state of economic crisis is a commissioned video work by Franziska Pierwoss centered around the notion of value in a failing economy, focusing on questions of food consumption in Lebanon today. The idea for the project emerged in the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion in August 2020 and the subsequent worsening of the economic crisis in Lebanon. With a food economy dependent on foreign imports, Lebanon is currently forced to re-discover its potential as an agricultural actor; but what forms of agriculture and vending models will prove sustainable in this crisis? The research is a result of artist-led interviews conducted in Lebanon in August 2021 with managers of local supermarkets, consumers and employees of small and large scale family and corporate businesses, looking at the supermarket as the epicenter of the ongoing economic crisis.

Watch here: Mad3oum – value in a state of economic crisis