Drop by Drop is a new collaborative artwork by Gaïa Fodoulian and Nathaniel Rackowe. It combines forms and concepts from two of Fodoulian’s unrealized design pieces and marries them with Rackowe’s approach to light and structure. As a point of departure, Rackowe first looked to Fodoulian’s elegant, modular stacking storage system with parallel steel bars bent into a cube. He further deconstructed its form, in keeping with the original concept of the design. Rackowe also drew influence from a sink designed by Fodoulian titled Gocciagoccia which resembles a cross-section of a stalactite, inspired by Lebanon’s famous Jeita Grotto, demonstrating the pride she felt in her country. The steel beams in Drop by Drop – variously hanging down and reachingup, crafted by steelmaker Kamil Mrad – echo the forms of stalactites and stalagmites. The fractured lines of the artwork mirror the ruins of Deir El Kalaa, its broken columns, and disintegrated architecture. The name of this piece – Drop by Drop – is the English translation of Fodoulian’s title Gocciagoccia; it also references Rackowe’s contribution to the design, adding drops of light at the tips of the steel beams in collaboration with lighting expert Roger Gemayel. The work is rooted in Lebanon’s past, both in its concept and as a tribute to Fodoulian’s life and work. By incorporating light, the caged form is opened up, pointing to a hopeful future.