Words and Images by Liam Sibai
This piece is a supplement within the “Frenquencies” issue
Cadre & Coincidence is about framing, both as a technical rule in photography and as an embodiment of how significant political events are represented and remembered. In photography, framing requires that everything within the cadre be clearly visible, capturing subjects and surroundings in a complete and orderly way. This rule ensures that photographs remain coherent and focused, but it also establishes its boundaries, setting a limit on what is seen, and, by extension, on what is left out.
In this project, however, the photographs resist and engage this rule: they are imperfectly framed, requiring re-framing or correction, and are anxiously aware that what is outside the frame is often as significant as what is within it. Each photograph in Cadre & Coincidence was taken on days marked by major political events, moments so impactful they are remembered by the dates alone: September 11th, August 4th, January 6th, etc. These images do not directly depict the events themselves. Rather, they portray the ordinary moments that coincided with them throughout my life; this is an autobiographical work. This is why we often ask questions like, where were you when political event X occurred?
Inside Cadres (2000-2008)
My mother took this photograph on September 11, 2001. She wasn’t happy with the framing, and she tried to fix it. She tried to focus on keeping everything that is in her frame, fully within her frame. She ended up with a much smaller, and less discernable photograph.
September 11: An event named after the date on which it occurred.
On September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes, crashing two into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., while the fourth plane, United Flight 93, was brought down by passengers in Pennsylvania before it could reach its target.
My mother took this photograph on March 8, 2005. She wasn’t happy with the framing, and she tried to fix it. She tried to focus on keeping everything that is in her frame, fully within her frame. She ended up with a much smaller, and less discernable photograph.
March 8: An event and political movement named after the date on which it occurred and began.
On March 8, 2005, Hezbollah and its allies organized a massive pro Syrian rally in Beirut to show support for Syria’s presence in Lebanon and to counter growing anti-Syrian sentiment following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
My mother took this photograph on March 14, 2005. She wasn’t happy with the framing, and she tried to fix it. She tried to focus on keeping everything that is in her frame, fully within her frame. She ended up with a much smaller, and less discernable photograph.
March 14: An event and political movement named after the date on which it occurred and began.
March 14, 2005, the Cedar Revolution culminated in a massive anti-Syrian demonstration, where over a million Lebanese gathered in Beirut to demand Syrian withdrawal and an end to Syrian influence in Lebanon. This rally was a critical moment in the movement that ultimately led to Syria withdrawing its troops from Lebanon.
My mother took this photograph May 7, 2008. She wasn’t happy with the framing, and she tried to fix it. She tried to focus on keeping everything that is in her frame, fully within her frame. She ended up with a much smaller, and less discernable photograph.
May 7: An event named after the date on which it occurred.
On May 7, 2008, in Lebanon, the political crisis between the March 8 Alliance and the March 14 Alliance erupted into violence when the government, aligned with the March 14 Alliance, decided to shut down Hezbollah’s telecommunications network. In response, Hezbollah and other March 8 Alliance forces took control of parts of West Beirut, leading to armed clashes that resulted in dozens of deaths and eventually led to the Doha Agreement, which resolved the immediate political crisis.
Outside Cadres (2011-2019)
This photo was taken on January 25, 2011. My best friend, Yassine, and I got drunk before going on our school’s karting field trip. This photograph was taken by our classmate the second Yassine started throwing up. He was not in the frame, however. He was standing to the right of the frame of the image, where there is a large purple space. In the photograph, you can see me get up to exit the go-kart, so I could vomit, myself. Unlike Yassine, I managed to make it to the bathroom.
January 25: An event and political movement named after the date on which it occurred and began.
On January 25, 2011, Egypt witnessed the beginning of a major uprising as tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Cairo and other cities, demanding the end of President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule. Sparked by widespread grievances over police brutality, political corruption, economic issues, and the lack of free elections and freedom of speech, this movement marked the start of the Egyptian Revolution, part of the broader Arab Spring, which eventually led to Mubarak’s resignation.
This photograph was taken on October 17, 2019. Yassine and I had taken my mother’s car out on a joy ride. We stopped at a lookout point to drink and smoke. This photograph of me was taken by Yassine inside my mom’s car. The image only shows part of the car’s door. Outside of the frame, you could see Yassine’s face in the car mirror, in the large green space, as he took the photo.
October 17: An event and political movement named after the date on which it occurred and began.
October 17, 2019, widespread protests erupted across Lebanon in response to proposed taxes on gasoline, tobacco, and VoIP calls through applications like WhatsApp, reflecting broader frustration with government corruption, economic mismanagement, and poor public services. These demonstrations, part of what became known as the October Revolution or Thawra, saw hundreds of thousands of people from diverse backgrounds demanding the resignation of the ruling elite, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
Between Frames (2020-Present)
It was the last day of shooting. The wind swept over the hills, smoothing and rounding their surfaces like a potter’s hand. I took this photo on August 4, 2020, and split it in two that same day.
August 4: An event named after the date on which it occurred.
On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion occurred in the port area of Beirut, Lebanon, when a large cache of ammonium nitrate, improperly stored in a warehouse, detonated. The blast caused widespread devastation, killing over 200 people, injuring thousands, and leaving much of the city in ruins, exacerbating Lebanon’s ongoing economic and political crises.
I left halfway through the game, deciding to stroll the park, instead. I heard the ball squeak as it hit the concrete. I took this photo on January 6, 2021, and split it in two that same day.
January 6: An event named after the date on which it occurred.
On January 6, 2021, supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. The violent breach of the Capitol disrupted a joint session of Congress that was in the process of certifying the Electoral College results, leading to multiple deaths, injuries, and widespread damage, and prompting a significant national and international response regarding security and democratic processes.
I was sad to find that no one in Lithuania wants to drink tea outside. How I longed to twist a kettle into the snow and watch the steam roll out the spout. I took this photo on October 7, 2023, and split it in three that same day.
October 7: An event named after the date on which it occurred.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale and unprecedented attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, involving rocket fire, and ground incursions. During the assault, numerous civilians and soldiers were taken hostage and held in Gaza.
In the context of the recent war in Gaza and Lebanon, the interplay of the personal and historical in Cadre & Coincidence shows how the everyday life of people – lived while these events are unfolding – is forever changed by those events but can never be consumed by them. These events can only be mentioned, not seen. There will always be something missing in any theoretical, journalistic, or even emotional representation of the event.
Special thanks to Tarek Al-Mohammad, Mohammad Khair Hamad, Ghazal Shantout, and Ugnė Vincerževskytė.