by Dana Halawi, Huang Hongsheng
BEIRUT, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Mohammad Nassif, a 60-year-old Lebanese artist, spends long hours every day at his workshop in Shebaa, a town on the southeastern tip of Lebanon, cutting and bending fragments of Israeli shells to transform them into artistic models.
"This artistic approach never occurred to me until five years ago when I became a maker of valuable artistic iron sculptures after working 15 years as a tourist guide," Nassif told Xinhua while creating an expressive sculpture representing the tragedy of children in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Nassif's artistic career sprouted when vast quantities of shell fragments drew his attention in the border areas of southern Lebanon, where he accompanied tourists on nature walks.
"Shell fragments with high density were found in the heights of Mount Hermon at the Lebanese-Syrian-Palestinian border, which in 1973 witnessed fierce battles between the Syrian and Israeli armies, with large quantities of remnants of artillery shells left," Nassif said.
He started collecting these heavy-weighted fragments from rugged areas and transported them to his factory in Shebaa to recycle them by changing them from destructive and deadly materials to sculptures vibrant with life.
"When I first started my artwork, I worked on models symbolizing peace, such as the United Nations (UN) emblem and the flags of the countries participating in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the UN Disengagement Observer Force, whose battalions operate near Mount Hermon to maintain the ceasefire between Syria and Israel," Nassif said.
"Through artistic means, I aimed to transform pain into hope, and the message of destruction and death carried by missiles into a message of life," he explained.
"One of my art's goals is to advise those who are concerned about the necessity of rejecting wars and adhering to peace in our regions, which since the 1970s have been and are still witnessing sad scenes of devastating wars," the artist noted.
He hoped these works that emerged from "hateful shells" would be a gateway to stopping wars and moving toward peace.
Nassif said his collection of war waste also has positive environmental effects as it cleans the fields from shrapnel, thus facilitating the movement of farmers, livestock herders, and trekkers and protecting them from potential harm.
He plans on working on new models amid the presence of vast numbers of shrapnel at this time due to the daily Israeli raids in southern Lebanon since Oct. 8, 2023, while assuring that he would avoid collecting the remnants of phosphorus shells. He also reports their whereabouts instead to relevant military authorities responsible for collecting and disposing of them.
The artist said most demand for his sculptures comes from UNIFIL peacekeepers who, upon their return to their countries, prefer to buy these items, distinguished by iron durability and beauty, as gifts.
