TAP
(TEMPORARY ART PLATFORM)

In addition to her role as Assistant Curator at TAP, Axelle Kurban contributed to communications and led the graphic design for the visual identity of Breath is Tide – a four-day artistic and cultural program in Beirut developed in collaboration with the Art Explora Festival.

March 2025 - June 2025

Graphic Design, Visual Identity, Typesetting

Public Health

Public Health is a long-term series of site-specific commissions, nearly seven years in the making. Launched in 2017, the initiative invited eight contemporary artists to critically engage with the hospital as a “non-place” – a term coined by Marc Augé to describe spaces where individuals pass through without forming lasting connections or a sense of belonging.

The pilot project launched in Beirut in May 2025. Kurban was responsible for the graphic design of printed and digital materials, ranging from labels to wall texts. She also collaborated with the AUBMC communications team on the design of the program pamphlet.

Wall Text vinyl at the entrance of the ACC lobby - American University of Beirut Medical Center

Pamphlet for Public Health

Database Postcards

A series of postcards was created for TAP’s three research tools:

TAP’s Database on Public Art Practices in Lebanon (2021);
A Few Things We Learned About Art, Ecology, and the Commons (2021);
A Few Things You Need to Know When Creating an Art Project in a Public Space in Lebanon (2015).

Kurban handled the graphic design and layout for these materials.

Breath is Tide

Over the course of one month, Kurban developed the visual identity and communication materials for Breath is Tide, including both printed content and social media assets. She carefully blended the visual languages of TAP and the Art Explora Festival to craft a distinct and cohesive identity.

The program activated various “breathing spaces” within institutions, shaping Beirut’s cultural life. Due to the urgency and volatility of working under high-pressure, crisis-affected conditions, the graphic language was bold and immediate, designed for rapid production and effective dissemination.

Social media content – ranging from reels to stories – was produced on a rolling basis, paired with thoughtful and informative captions.

Social Media Posts

Online Communications: Program

Printed materials included posters for the overall program as well as for individual live events at specific venues.

Poster for Breath is Tide events happening at Metro al Madina, Beirut, Lebanon

The main pamphlet took the form of an accordion-fold leaflet, printed on inexpensive, brightly colored paper to enable wide distribution. The design folds into a circle, echoing a verse from Birago Diop’s poem Breaths, which served as a conceptual anchor for the curatorial direction. The full program, printed on A2 paper, provided generous space to clearly present information, such as project descriptions or a visual institutions map, to TAP’s diverse audiences.

Pamphlet Layout

Breath is Tide Pamphlet at Public Health Launch (Photo credit: Hadi Bou Ayash)

Tote Bag

Creation of a tote bag for members, artists, and allies, celebrating the 10th year anniversary of TAP.
TAP is a nonprofit organization committed to making another world possible, by affecting social change through contemporary art.

Discarded tote bag designs

Final Rendition (Photo credit: Hadi Bou Ayash)

See more content across TAP social media and website.

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AXELLE KURBAN

AXELLE KURBAN

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