بيت علاء
alaa's house
A house for art practitioners and cultural workers
What is “Bet Alaa”
“Bet Alaa”, is a house in the quiet neighborhood of Achrfieh Getawi. The house aims to be a small residency home for artists, thinkers, philosophers, writers who are in their research phase of their projects and need a place that has a calm environment to build their works. Artists who are in their research phase, script books and novel writers, journalists, visual and performance artists who wish to be away in a reflective space are welcome to join. It is also hosts individuals working in the cultural field who are visiting Beirut for a short stay. 
What is not "Bet Alaa"
The house is not a rehearsal space, nor a space where musicians can rehearse music. It is not a performance space, nor a space for film or photography shoots. It is not a space to do artworks that require a studio like ceramics, painting, etc… “Bet Alaa” Components
A 200 meters square house consisting of a fully furnished living room, research space, three bedrooms, three balconies, two toilets, one shower, kitchen and storage room. A washing/drying machine. 10 Amp generator (12.5 hours every day like all the neighborhood generators in Lebanon). The house has an Inverter with a battery if it is needed. There is a common water tank for the whole building so no water issues. However be mindful about water consumption as this is the case in all Lebanese houses. An example is to use the washing machine once a week so you do not encounter water cuts. Ogero WIFI 15MBS. A cleaning lady would deep clean the house every two weeks.
“Bet Alaa” offer
Offer One: (Artist's Residency) Bet Alaa offers a stay in the house for a period between 3 and 4 weeks where the artist lives with other artists who are also in the work in progress phase. The house will mainly be occupied with two artists at a time. We do not expect a presentation or a final result, but we request a trace of the research left in the house for other artists to check it out and a small report about the findings, progress in the research during the residency. Offer Two: (Short visits to Beirut) Artists or individuals working on the cultural field who are planning a short visit to beirut are welcome to stay in the house. Contribution
Offer One contribution (Artist's Residency) The artists are guests in the house thus they do not pay rent. The house asks for a financial contribution for maintaining the house of 275$. This is not a rent fee. Higher donations are welcome to support this program. Payment happens once accepted in USD cash. How to apply for offer one: Applying for Artists' Residency (3 to 4 weeks) Email us a maximum of 2 A4 PDF with your name, phone, email, address, and social media. Telling us about yourself, your practice, your research. Tell us about your current research, why are you interested in the residency and what do you aim to end up with. Tell us your wishes in the house, how do you imagine your residency to be. The dates you ask for. We need three references: names, phone numbers and emails. At a later stage if you get the residency, we will ask for a copy of your ID. You can send the PDF to: [email protected] Please write in the subject “yourname - Bet Alaa Residency” Offer Two contribution (short visits to Beirut)
If you are an artists, writer, journalist, curator, theater director or worker in the cultural field visiting Beirut and looking for a place to stay in "Bet Alaa" offers you a room or the whole house in return of a financial contribution that would help the program keep on. Rates for renting a room or the whole House differs depending on the season and the duration of booking in general the rates would be 20% less than a hotel booking the rates vary between 35$ to 55$ per night for short term room booking 60$ to 85$ per night for the whole house booking. If you are interested in reserving a room please email us at: [email protected] Please write in the subject “yourname - Bet Alaa Short Visit” House Rules
We find it of high importance to be clear about the house rules as it aims to maintain the vintage house while creating a safe and inspiring environment. A- Cleanliness Hygiene Tiredness: The house has to always be in a state of cleanness and tidiness. That is why we have a rule that says: “If you use it, clean it, and put it back in its place”. No left dishes in the dishwasher, if you use anything or move it, please put it back in its place after you finish. The space has to always be in a tidy form for other artists to enjoy it. If you drop stains on the floor, table, gas, clean it. Hygiene is highly important, we ask you to wash the bedcover once a week. When using the toilet or shower make sure that it is clean for other people. We have one shower near the bedrooms. DO NOT use the shower in the blue toilet next to the kitchen at any time. A cleaning lady will be coming every 10 / 15 days to deep clean the house, however we expect you to keep the house clean in between. The garbage can be put outside the house door before 12:00 noon. Someone would collect it. B- Noise: No loud noise, whether voice, music, or while using material. The house aims at being a calm reflective environment at all times. When you are on the balconies please be mindful that you are heard by the neighbors. C- Smoking: This is an absolutely no smoking house. The only place that you can smoke in is the balcony in the workspace and the balcony in the kitchen. It is absolutely not allowed to smoke on the balcony near the bedroom or indoors at any time. D- Visitors: This is a residency house, that is why we expect you to have visitors coming in kept to the minimum. This gives time for you and the fellow artist living with you to focus on your research. It is not allowed to have any guest sleepover for any reason. No parties or big events are allowed at any time. Pets need to have approval from management before being brought in. E- parking: There is no specific parking. Please do not use the parking facing the house. F- Plants: We have beautiful plants all over the house. We ask you and your fellow artist to take care of them and water them every wednesday and sunday. There is a big brown bucket that you can fill with water and use to water all the plants. G- Relationship to the neighbors: It is of the highest importance to keep a good relationship with the neighbors. We ask you to be friendly and understanding to the neighbors. If they ask you what you are doing in the building, inform them that you are an artist and a guest at Alaa’s house for a couple of weeks. If any issue arises, immediately inform us about it to resolve it. H- Safety: Never give the house keys to anyone. Never allow anyone to go into the house without being notified by us. There is a camera at the entrance of the door for everyone's safety. I - Codes of Ethics & Conduct: “Bet Alaa” aims to create spaces of generosity and care that avoid and prohibit sexism, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, all sorts of bullying and discrimination and condescending practices. We would like to pass on this ethical state of being to you as a participant. We trust that our values will mutually grow within your safe hands to cultivate a healthy, equitable, non-oppressive environment. In this ongoing effort, we strive to create a culture of respect in all areas. Our space is committed to maintaining a safe, professional, and welcoming environment that respects the dignity of every individual. Treating others with respect and dignity ensures a healthy and productive environment free from discrimination, racism, disrespectful and inappropriate behavior, retaliation, sexual harassment, and violence You agree to the following principles: Any form of harassment is prohibited and will be taken seriously by the house. Harassment can be defined as “verbal, physical, emotional, psychological, or written behavior which intimidates individuals or groups on any basis including ancestry, race, ethnicity, color, religion or creed, sex or gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, age, height, weight, marital status, familial status, handicap/disability, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, and interferes with an individual’s activities the house”. Sexual Harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or visual communication or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Anyone who has experienced harassment or sexual misconduct is strongly urged to report it to us on the following numbers: Alaa Minawi : Phone number provided before joining the house Georges Abboud: Phone number provided before joining the house J- Cancellation: Bet Alaa reserves the right to cancel the stay of the artist, if any of the above rules were not respected. Especially sections I H G D C or A. |
