About
Until South Lebanon was freed from Israeli occupation in May 2000, it was impossible to enter the Khiam detention camp, situated in an area occupied by the Israeli military and its proxy Lebanese militia, the South Lebanon Army. Much was heard about what took place in the camp, but no image was ever seen.
Hadjithomas and Joreige first encountered the camp in 1996 through their work with The Committee to Release Souha Bechara and the Detainees of Khiam. This work grew into a wider interest in the space of Khiam and the experiences of its prisoners. Khiam is a project that began with Hadjithomas and Joreige’s desire to document this imageless place, to explore the stories that emerged from it, and the traces left behind from its recent and distant past. Beginning with a film entitled Khiam (2000) the project developed over several stages, eventually responding to the 2006 Lebanon War which changed the significance of the camp once more.
Khiam is composed of multiple installations.