Why Lana Chukri’s Lebanese dreams are a stroke of genius
The founder of Dihzahyners represents the spirit with which the nation is rewriting its story
Lana Chukri no longer works in advertising. She no longer lives in Dubai really either. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t belong in this magazine anymore.
The now former art director with Leo Burnett Dubai, who quit her job at the beginning of this month to follow another path, has done more than her fair share to prove the importance of art and design within society. She has also prodded and pulled at the obstacles stopping people from reaching their potential.
“Because I am passionate about so many things, I want to find a way to bring them together to benefit a social purpose,” says Chukri not long after her final day at work. “Whether that is through social innovation, entrepreneurship, design; the way and the means relies more on the information I would and should gather. But the social cause – how it benefits people and communities, how it restores faith in humanity, especially in my country and the Middle East – that is the ultimate dream for me. I hope to achieve a dynamic, buzzing society and group of artists and individuals that are not afraid to approach even governmental and political issues, through a means of design and communication.
“It sounds extremely idealistic, I know, and yes, at times I do become very disillusioned and it pulls me down, but I allow myself that down time to recuperate, to reevaluate my methods or my purpose, and I collect my energy again and move forward. We can only really move forward, after all.”
The founder of Dihzahyners – a team of artists and designers dedicated to making Beirut brighter and more beautiful through colour – Chukri is seeking to marry art and design with social cause, something that advertising often tries to achieve but frequently fumbles. Renowned for its painted steps, the group’s most famous work – the painting of the Masaad Stairs in Mar Mikhael – were only recently saved from demolition.
“I started Dihzahyners because I wanted to bring about change in a city, in communities I love, through art and design,” she says. “Having the community engage in these social initiatives gives them an opportunity to share in that love. The political and economical issues we face in Lebanon are plenty, but creating a team like Dihzahyners who work together to give our public spaces and the people living in those spaces importance, attention and love, shows how even the slightest change can ignite a sense of belonging and nationalistic pride.”
‘Bridging the gap between imagination and execution’ was the name of a TEDx talk Chukri gave in 2012. But how challenging is it to bridge that gap?
“It is challenging in a way that most people struggle with every single day,” she replies. “Every human being has an ambition, a dream, in their own way, but because society, our cultures, our communities, our parents, our authorities, or whoever else, constrict us or categorise us and what process we have to go through to fulfil our ambitions, we end up burying those dreams, and sticking to what’s mainstream, what ‘works’. And that is the biggest challenge; to be fearless, and just literally physically getting out there and throwing yourself in the deep end is probably the scariest thing I had ever done. Would people accept it? Would they embrace it?
“What enables you to bridge it in the end is literally a push – physically, emotionally and mentally – to have no expectations, to really put your whole heart into it, and to hope for the best. It’s something you need to do blindly at first, foolishly, without question; it is a risk but sometimes, and most times, it will pay off; maybe not always in the way you expect it to at first, but there is always something to learn from the process or the outcome.” What keeps you driven? “People. The way they interact, the way they behave, what their idiosyncrasies and habits are, what they believe in, who they preach to. Talking to people, rejoicing in one another’s stories and experiences and gaining knowledge and perspective through them is my driving force behind being able to accept people uncondit i onally, l ove t hem unconditionally, and ultimately want to help them unconditionally. My mom always used to tell me that in every person there is something to love and something to learn. Conversations, random interactions with strangers and the people around me gives me so much energy, even ideas of upcoming projects and interventions. Even when being caught in a really messy situation, it’s good to listen to what people are saying, what they’re complaining about, why are they frustrated? Listen and learn.”
She adds: “Considering everything that has happened, and what seems to still be evolving to the worst politically, it’s so hard to see Lebanon’s future as anything but chaotic. Civil strife, neighbouring wars, the aftermath of the Arab Spring, the influx of regimes and refugees – there is so much still that this region needs to go through before we can even focus on building a politically stable future for Lebanon.
“But what I do envision, when I am surrounded by a vibrant and creative youth who are kickstarting their own business and social enterprises, is a country with a lot of artistic expression, motivation, and a booming individualistic fervour that will benefit the whole. Instead of applying a forced amnesia, as we have always done, we can instead really create platforms where people can inject all of their ambitions and dreams and hopes for a better Lebanon, and come out with something spectacular. At times I feel we are experiencing our own artistic or social revolution; and that can at least stitch together a lot of what Lebanon is missing socially, and provide an outlet for everyone to engage in despite the gaping holes of political and economical stability in the nation. If our future generations continue in those footsteps, there is still a lot to look forward to.”
With trailblazers such as these, it won’t be difficult.