Honoring the firefighters killed by the Beirut explosion on August 4th, Lebanese artist and sculptor Hayat Nazer created a “Civil Defense Christmas Tree,” by the blast location in Beirut, reminding us that although we’re in festive seasons, they are not forgotten.
The Christmas tree, which she decorated with civil defense uniforms and pieces of equipment, intends to show support for the needs of the firefighters’ teams.
The artist explained on her Instagram that what inspired her to create that particular tree is that she believes that “they need our support, new equipment, and at least some love and encouragement.”
With all the ongoing in the country with this catastrophe, it is good to remember these heroes who were the most affected during the blast, losing team members.
These brave-hearts who are mostly volunteers kept working relentlessly through rescue missions, with little equipment afforded to them.
They were the ones who assembled the Christmas tree, decorating it with Civil Defense jackets, faux fire-extinguishers, helmets, and water-hoses.
Hayat’s previous sculptures gained a lot of attention because of their similar heartfelt messages.
A month ago, she turns Beirut-Blast debris into a statue of hope and strength. She created the woman sculpture out of the debris, glass shards, and rubble, which she aimed to signify the strength of the country in her conceptual image.
The phoenix of the revolution that became one of the symbols of the people’s uprising was of her making. She created it out of the broken metal of the revolutionaries’ tents that were vandalized in Beirut. It symbolizes “love, strength, rebirth”.
About the civil defense volunteers for whom she raised this new Christmas tree, she said: “I consider these volunteering heroes.”
“While our politicians run away from their responsibilities, they run into fires and danger to save us! My utmost love and respect to the heroes,” she said.
