Lebanese magazine prints covers and posters with blood to commemorate Armenian genocide

Lebanese magazine Audio Kultur has released a series of posters and a limited-edition version of its April issue printed using human blood to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. The project “Still here, Still Bleeding”, named after the slogan printed across the covers and posters, was developed by the Beirut-based independent magazine to celebrate the contribution that Lebanon’s Armenian population have made to the country’s cultural landscape.

“In Lebanon these contributions have been especially substantial, and a lot of the contributors are friends, colleagues and even family members,” Tres Colacion, editor-in-chief of Audio Kultur, told Dezeen. “It’s a community that is really fully integrated into Lebanese society and, with the occasion of the 100-year anniversary, it was a project that our editorial team felt compelled to take on.”

Audio Kultur approached five Lebanese-Armenians working in creative industries and asked them each to donate a vial of blood, which was mixed with red ink and used to print the words “Still Here, Still Bleeding” on the front cover of each special edition magazine.

“The donors were all very taken aback when we approached them,” Colacion said. “I think it holds a significance that is not easy to describe. We heard stories of rape, murder, torture…and of survival. It was a very emotional process in ways none of us have ever experienced. Obviously it was a sombre experience, but it was also really inspiring.”

Lebanon has one of the highest Armenian populations in the world, many of which are grandchildren of Armenians who took refuge in Lebanon after the genocide in 1915.