To broaden the possibilities for supporting artistic practice in the region, a some of the ECF staff visited Beirut for the third edition of the Homeworks forum in Beirut, November 2005. The main intention of this trip was to do some 'homework' about possible content, formats and context of artistic collaborations occurring in Beirut and the region. Also to see if there could be an arts project supported in the context of AlmostReal. This visit was followed by a period of many different exchanges with artists working in the region. In the ensuing months, the AlmostReal team decided on the strength of the proposal of Christine Tohmé of Ashkal Alwan to support the development of video and interdisciplinary installation of emerging Beirut-based artists.