Resilience 1/3

Resilience by Ryan Koopmans & Alice Wexell

Aley, Lebanon, 2025 Edition 1 of 3 (+2 AP)

Built in 1926 in the mountain town of Aley, overlooking Beirut, the Grand Aley Hotel has witnessed nearly a century of change. Once a glamorous summer retreat, it later served during times of conflict before falling into abandonment during the Lebanese Civil War. Its weathered interiors, layered with peeling paint, carry traces of this history.

In 'Resilience', Koopmans and Wexell reimagine the historic interior through digitally sculpted vegetation and shifting light, embracing the building’s monochromatic green palette. The work reflects themes of endurance, renewal, and Lebanon’s resilient spirit.

Part of The Wild Within, an ongoing series exploring the relationship between nature and architecture, the work combines photography and digital reconstruction to create an imagined environment suspended between preservation and transformation. Inspired by the artistic tradition of capriccio, the series blends documentation and imagination, preserving traces of vulnerable architectural spaces while envisioning new life within them.