Robert Holden

«In Lebanon, all women marry in white, whatever their religion. The aesthetics of
marriage crosses over and into the whole of society. The bride’s dress is a unifying
element and a life symbol». Photographer Robert Holden approached this project
on the basis of this very premise. He was furthermore inspired by The Lebanese
Bride, an image created by photo-journalist Christine Spengler that shows a bride
in front of the ruins of Beirut.
The video shows a woman in a bride’s dress turning around her own axis, showing
only her back. «Lebanon is a unique country with a multitude of cultural identities.
Yet it is a frustrating country. Peace seems to be turning its back to it, just like the
bride in the video who never shows us her face».
The video was fi lmed on Super 8 and the dress was made by Beirut based fashion
designer Georges Chara – a voluntary parallel that wants to intensify the paradox
of Lebanon, where crisis and party, war and hedonism live side by side.