‘The Mediterranean is wilder than we think, it’s geological, it’s planetary.’
-Etel Adnan
The Sea as a Witness: An Archaeological Memory is a curated film programme by Cindy Chehab that explores the sea as a site of memory, displacement, ecological crisis, and violent histories. Drawing from cinema across the Mediterranean, the programme positions the sea as both archive and witness, where sound, image, and motion carry stories that resist erasure.
In a moment marked by aggression and ethnic cleansing by the Israeli Government in Lebanon, Palestine, and Iran, this programme responds with urgency and political clarity. Across these regions, the sea has been militarized, to waters that have borne the weight of forced migration, fatalities, and ecological harm. The violence enacted upon bodies, human and nonhuman, along these shores and across maritime borders underscores a form of slow, systemic erasure that cinema can confront, contest, and document. The films gathered here insist that the sea must be understood as witness and as an active site of political meaning, where histories of violence are confronted.
The programme’s presentation in Dublin, a coastal city in Ireland, adds an urgent layer of reflection. Surrounded by the sea, Dublin’s geographical and historical positionality evokes questions of mobility, borders, exile, and the environmental and political forces that shape islands and coasts.
We come together to think collectively about the ties between the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic, and reflect about our own closeness to the sea, our position, as witness and participant. We invite the audience to imagine how memory, care, and solidarity can flow across waters and oceanic borders.
This haunting memory that is not my own
30 min, Lebanon, Armenia, 2021
The essay film, made in the form of a letter exchange between a man and a woman, was inspired by the fact that the government of Vietnam plans to build the country’s first two nuclear power plants in Ninh Thuan (formerly known as Panduranga), right at the spiritual heart of the Cham indigenous people, threatening the survival of this ancient matriarchal Hindu culture that stretches back almost two thousand years.
At the border between documentary and fiction, the film shifts audience attention between foreground and background, between intimate portraits and distant landscapes, offering reflections around fieldwork, ethnography, art, and the role of the artist.
Panos Aprahamian
Panos Aprahamian is a Berlin-based unfiction filmmaker, media artist, and writer from Beirut’s peripheral rustbelt. Through language, image, sound, and ritual, his practice explores the spectral presence of the future past in undead bodies, sacrificial landscapes, and social relations.
Summer 91
20 min, lebanon, 2014
At a beach resort on the Lebanese coast, a young woman and a young man tell their shared story in different ways. Through their conflicting memories, the film explores youth, relationships, and the fragile nature of recollection, set against the lingering tensions of wartime Lebanon.
Nadim Tabet & Karine Wehbé
Karine Wehbé is a Lebanese artist and graphic designer whose practice spans drawing, photography, video, and installation. Her work explores questions of history, memory, and the relationship between people and their environments. Her projects have been presented at venues including ICC New York, Ashkal Alwan, Beirut Art Center, Beirut Art Residency, Takeover, and the Sursock Museum.
Nadim Tabet is a film director with several short films under his belt and a feature film titled One of These Days which won Best Debut Feature at the Arab Film and Media Institute‘s 22nd Arab Film Festival in San Francisco. Along with his films, Nadim Tabet co-founded the Lebanese Film Festival and gives lectures on cinema in several universities across Lebanon. Whether in his short or feature films, Nadim has always been interested in the Lebanese youth and their relationship to history at large. How can trivial daily matters (boys meet girls, carelessness, desire for life etc.) resist the upheavals of Lebanese history? This slow contamination of intimacy by larger stakes is a way for Nadim to investigate questions around the notion of loss, time that passes, and melancholia.
Errans
67 min, ICELAND, LEBANON, 2020
A woman arrives in Lebanon searching for a man she met years earlier in Iceland who has since disappeared. In Beirut, where buildings still carry the scars of past wars, his absence echoes through the city’s empty, labyrinthine streets. The call of the sea draws her southward, toward what seems like the Earth’s hidden centre.
Mira Adoumier
Mira Adoumier (b. 1985, New York) is a filmmaker, visual artist and researcher based in Oslo, whose work is shaped by her experience of growing up in exile, moving across cultures, continents, and languages. Drawing on her academic studies in cinema, philosophy, biology, and psychology, her films explore landscapes at the intersection of center and periphery, real and imagined, weaving the multiple relationships between image, text, voice, and sound. A member of The Camelia Committee with Carine Doumit and Nour Ouayda, Mira is also a guest lecturer at Nordland Kunst- og Filmhøgskole in Kabelvåg, Norway. In addition, she programs and curates films for art institutions and festivals and does the cinematography for artist films.
A member of The Camelia Committee with Carine Doumit and Nour Ouayda, Mira is also a guest lecturer at Nordland Kunst- og Filmhøgskole in Kabelvåg, Norway. In addition, she programs and curates films for art institutions and festivals.
Saturday 28th March 2026
6:00pm – 9:00pm
A4 Gallery & Garden (BYOB)
6:00pm*: Arrive and get comfy in our gallery or have some pre chats in the garden.
6:20pm: There will be a short introduction to the film by the curator
6:30pm: The film screenings will start and run for approx 2 hours.
8:30pm: There will be a short Q&A with the curator
9:00pm: The event will finish. For those who wish to we will move to our garden for post chats and drinks.
*Please note: The doors will close at 6:30pm to avoid disruption to the screenings. Please ensure to arrive before then to enjoy the evening.
€7.00 – €21.00
100% of income* received from the purchase of tickets will go directly to vetted relief efforts in Beirut.
In addition to ticket sales we encourage everyone who can to make an additional donation at the time of booking or on the night of the event to help raise as much funds as possible.
Can’t attend but would love to support? Please purchase a solidarity ticket and/or make a donation via our shop!
*All artists involved will be paid appropriate fees via WOWTE programme funding
This event is masked and takes place in our gallery which is wheelchair accessible and is seated. There is an accessible toilet on the ground floor. Our full access information is below.
Curator
Cindy Chehab
Cindy Chehab is a Lebanese filmmaker and film programmer whose work focuses on the identity of the SWANA region. Through a research-based ethno-biographical film practice, she explores the intimate and political intersections of personal and collective memory. She interrogates the notion of the “absent archive” and the mechanisms of erasure, questioning how what is missing, suppressed, or fragmented can still structure memory, history, and image-making. She currently works as an archive researcher and producer on different documentary projects across Europe. In 2022, she co-founded a film and image culture space in Nicosia, Cyprus—a film club dedicated to critical engagement with film culture. Her curatorial interests center on militant and underrepresented documentary films. She is pursuing a master’s degree in Film Preservation and Archival Practices between Brussels, Lisbon, and Dublin as part of the first edition of the FilmMemory program.
The Common Thread
The Common Thread forms part of our WOWTE Programme. It is a series of experiments and happenings that serve as an ongoing public discussion, drawing out shared themes and engaging audiences in an ongoing conversation about the goals and strategies of social change: what kind of society do we want and how should we get there?
Access Information
Our building is situated off Upper Dorset Street approx 14 mins from The Spire.
DETAILED DIRECTIONS
Walking & Wheeling
O’Connell Street: 14 mins from The Spire (directions)
Phibsborough: 11 mins (directions)
Bus
Luas
Parnell Stop (Green Line): 10 mins (directions)
Dominick Stop (Green Line): 12 mins (directions)
Broadstone Stop (Green Line): 12 mins (directions)
Abbey Street (Red Line): 17 mins (directions)
Dart
Drumcondra Station: 13 mins (directions)
Tara Station: 24 mins (directions)
Connolly Station: 28 mins (directions)
Car
There is onsite paid parking nearby our building, with a larger carpark located at The Mater Hospital.
Mater Hospital Carpark: 4 mins (directons)
Accessible Parking
There are 30 accessible parking spaces nearby our studios between 2 and 8 mins away.
Parking 2-3 mins away:
- Nelson Street: 1 space, 210m
- Hardwick Place: 1 space, 220m
- Eccles Place: 2 spaces, 220m
- Eccles Street: 3 spaces, 230m
- Hardwicke Place: 1 space, 220m
HEALTH PRECAUTIONS
What We Will Do:
Provide FFP2 masks at the door for all visitors.
Air purifiers with HEPA filters will be running in the gallery.
A CO2 monitor will be at the gallery door.
Doors will be opened regularly to ventilate the room.
All staff will take an antigen test on the day of the event.
What You Can Do:
If you feel newly unwell, or have been in contact with someone who has been sick in the days before the event, please stay at home.
If you can afford to, please take an antigen test before coming to the event.
If you test positive for Covid-19 or the flu, please stay at home.
If travelling by public transport or taxi please wear a mask for your journey.
Ensure to wear a mask indoors at all times.
OUR BUILDING
Arriving Here!
When you arrive at the gallery there is a kerb outside as part of the pavement which you may need to navigate depending on the direction you arrive.
There is a small slope at the entrance at the desk where the material of the floor changes from cement to a tiled surface.
The door will be open and there will be a staff member to greet you at the front desk.
The front desk will be immediately in front of you approx 1m from the front door.
The Gallery
Our gallery is located on the ground floor and is accessible.
It is located about 5m from the front door.
There is a small ramp into the gallery space.
The floor is currently suspended wood.
Our garden can be accessed via the gallery.
The Garden
The door to the outdoor area is straight across from the gallery door, and a distance of approx 5m.
The outdoor area has heating which can be turned on and off to suit your needs.
The outdoor area has a garden with a covered seating area with wooden benches, wooden and plastic stools.
There are additional wooden benches is covered with an awning. This area may offer less protection from the wind or rain.
There are a number of wind breakers installed around the garden to offer some protection from the cold in winter.
To the back of the garden there is a mezzanine which is accessed by approx 15 steps with wooden benches
BATHROOMS
Ground Floor Toilet
All bathrooms & toilets are gender-neutral.
There is one accessible toilet in our outdoor garden area. It is a portaloo.
First Floor Bathrooms
All bathrooms & toilets are gender-neutral.
There are three indoor bathrooms which are not accessible.
The indoor bathrooms are located on the first floor via a flight of stairs (approx 22 steps) so may provide difficulties for folk with movement impairments.
EVENT INFO
Seating & Comfort
Seating
There will be a selection of seating including 6 soft chairs, and plastic canteen chairs with chair pads.
If you require a comfortable chair please let us know when booking your ticket.
We will reserve comfortable seating for anyone that lets us know at the time of booking.
You can also email us via indigo@a4sounds.org or let us know on the night. Please note we can not guarantee a comfortable seat on the night due to the limited number available, bue we will do our best to accomodate you.
Beds / Laying Down
There is a large structure which has 4 large beds with screens to view the films while lying down.
There are two capsules at the bottom on the structure with beds, and two additional on top with beds which can be accessed via approx 6 steps.
The top level may be difficult to access for persons with restricted mobility.
Blankets & Cushions
There will be additional blankets and cushions throughout the gallery.
Lights & Video
Lights
The room will be dimly lit with LED spotlights .
Lights will be turned down during the screenings.
There will be no flashing lights.
Film
Filmss will be played on a large screen using a projector.
There will be no flashing or glitching video
Sound
Sound
Sound will be played on a PA system.
The volume will not be excessively loud.
There will be no loud, sudden or overly harsh noises in the films.
HOW TO BOOK A TICKET
Booking Link
You can book your visit via the link below:
Page 1
First, select your preferred date and time to visit from the drop down menus. You can find them on the right handside of the page underneath the description of the event.
Next, if you have accessibility needs, click the box inside the pink area underneath accessibility needs section. Skip this section if it is not applicable.
Next, if you would like to make a donation, please enter the donation amount inside the box in the section marked pink
Next, click the add to cart button which is located below the total amount.
The screen will refresh. Now you will see a ‘view cart‘ button on the top right of the screen. You can also click the shopping cart icon on the top banner area.
Page 2
There is no shipping required for this booking, so please click the ‘continue to check out’ button
Page 3
Fill out your billing information in the pink box.
Next, the subscribe to our newsletter button is automatically checked. If you do not wish to do this uncheck this box. It is just below the pink box
Important
Next, if is the if shipping details are different to billing details. Please click the heading of this section so it closes and no longer requires details to be inputted. This is important to be able to check out without errors.
Next, scroll down and check the I have read the terms and conditions box
Next, check the I am not a robot box
Finally, click the place order button.
Confirmation Page
You will now come to a confirmation page. You do not need to do anything further. We will have your name ready at the door to check in.