The Kindergarten Collective

Born from the belief that people work better together, not alone – The Kindergarten Collective provides a home for incessantly creative minds that simply can’t stop making.

Originally the home of photographers, musicians, journalists and playwrights, the Collective has grown to accept artists and thinkers from all fields. The only rule is that you work with a smile on you face.

So far we’ve offered studio space to a Syrian painter, an Italian film nomad, and a Danish photojournalist to name just a few – but we’re always looking for new inspiration from all corners of the mind and body.

Civilian Spectrums by Imad Habbab at The Kindergarten Collective
ImadHabbab at The Kindergarten Collective (photo courtesy of Flora Lenses)

ImadHabbab at The Kindergarten Collective (photo courtesy of Flora Lenses)

Civilian spectrums : When the flashback of the city comes with a group of impressions, reforming a continuous action of concrete that find a place for itself in the painting, getting cut between the metal cranes that hiding the scene and rebuilding it at the same time .. where there’s more of the concrete which is thirsty to exist.. which cannot wait until he fulfil that air climbed by the “metal crowns”, the lighting space getting requiems with more constructions while the identity still hidden as a metaphysical observer who’s pushing this changes to be complete as a sensible end .. an objective chaos controlled with its details (altro…)

Fall in love or fall asleep
Khodor Eliak at The Kindergarten Collective in Beirut (photo courtesy of @Boudi)

Khodor Eliak at The Kindergarten Collective in Beirut (photo courtesy of @Boudi)

The idea behind the party was a simple one: to go back from where it all started. The idea for the first Kindergarten party was a joke on Boudi’s big head and the assonance his name has with the word booty.  (altro…)

Cirkmag features the Kindergarten Collective
A copy of Cirkmag in an Oslo bookshop (photo courtesy of @SebastianDahl)

A copy of Cirkmag in an Oslo bookshop (photo courtesy of @SebastianDahl)

Norwegian photographer Sebastian Dahl just just publisheda photo essay on the Kindergarten Collective on Norwegian magazine Cirkmag

Proud to say he was also just nominated as one of the ten best Nordic photographers of 2014 by Idesigni

More of his work can be found here: http://unspecularhighlights.tumblr.com/

(altro…)

Concerto by The Kindergarten Collective

A moment of Concerto by The Kindergarten Collective. Beirut, June 2014 (photo courtesy of Alana Gonzalez)

The text below was written by Tim Davis Frank. It was part of a performance organized by The Kindergarten Collective. The intent was to tell a story – the same story – through three different mediums: one is word (see below) the second is paint (Imad Habbab used charckle live – see photos) and Hassan Nasser told the story through the mix (clink link below). The event took place in the basement of Indo-Lanka (see photos) an indian restaurant and shop in Daura, eastern outskirts of Beirut.

(altro…)

The KIndergarten Collective presents Wissam Muases

This video is courtesy of French journalist Camille Tahar. It was shot last November at The Kindergarten Collective in Beirut. The event started with a presentation by Syrian entrepreneur and artist Wissam Muases where he explained his work and how he up-cycles beer bottles. Following the presentation Syrian band Hat Lan Shouf and Khebez Daule performed.

A reportage on The Kindergarten Collective
Details of the Kindergarten Kitchen (Beirut, 2014)

Detail of the Kindergarten Kitchen (Photo by Simon Skipper – Beirut, 2014)

 

Danish photographer and writer Simon Skypper came to Beirut in search of the story. He found The Kindergarten Collective and decided to work on a reportage about it. The text is in Danish, but it will soon be transalted. To see more photos click here (altro…)

“Integration” screening at The Kindergarten Collective
Moment of screening of "Integration" by Oleksiy Radynski and Lyubzja Knorozok at The Kindergarten Collective in Beirut, Lebanon. May 2014

Moment of screening of “Integration” by
Oleksiy Radynski and Lyubzja Knorozok at The Kindergarten Collective in Beirut, Lebanon. May 2014

On the 1st of May The Kindergarten Collective showed “Integration” a short-movie by Ukrainian film-makers Lyubzja Knorozok and Oleksiy Radynski. Lyubzja and Oleksiy stayed at the Kindergarten for three weeks while attending courses at Ashkal Alwan, a Beirut based art school and space. (altro…)

Downtown Beirut
Phoenicin ruins inside the Beirut "suqs" (photo courtesy of Sebastian Dahl)

Phoenician ruins inside the Beirut “suqs” (photo courtesy of Sebastian Dahl)

I lived in The Kindergarten Collective with Sebastian Dahl for four months. We collaborated on a lot of projects. On of them is this photo series. Sebastian told me how he was concerned with downtown Beirut and how it had been transformed. He took the photos and I wrote this brief test to go with it. (altro…)