Mural in Beirut produced by Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada

In collaboration with Built by Associative Data (BAD), Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada (Cuba, 1966) is painting a mural in the neighborhood of Bachoura in the city of Beirut, Lebanon, in a building still damaged by the war and waiting to be rebuilt. The first area in the front-line of the devastating civil war of 1975, Bachoura is experiencing a revival spearheaded by Beirut Digital District, as the Lebanese city undergoes a powerful and encouraging metamorphosis. Titled Connection, the mural depicts a young boy exploring an Arduino board, in a metaphor for the essential need for innovation and education in the construction of a better future for society. Born in Cuba in 1966, Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada was raised in the United States and lived for a while in Barcelona. He is a visual artist known for his innovative large-scale works, some of which are visible from space and require to be photographed from high above, even from satellites. The purpose of his work is intrinsic to the importance of the messages that it conveys, questioning complex social issues like identity, human rights, and climate change.