I am delighted to extend an invitation to the opening of my exhibition “The Alexandrian” on March 23, 2024, at 8:00 PM at Janaklees for Visual Art in Alexandria, Egypt.
In my Artwork and Urban Research, I employ artistic visual language to explore the dynamics of present-day Alexandria society and its impact on the city’s urban and Built Environment evolution. My goal is to observe and analyze the communal behaviors of the city’s inhabitants, with a focus on fostering an impartial understanding of shifting values and cultures. Through this endeavor, I strive to facilitate communication and knowledge-sharing among diverse groups of individuals engaged in contemporary Alexandria.
Full Description
Alexandria was the capital of Egypt, founded by Alexandre the Great in 331 B.C.E. A city that once was a cosmopolitan and a melting pot of several races, languages, and creeds…!
These are typical words one would come across wherever searching the name “Alexandria”. Many Alexandrians whom I surveyed, see the future in the past. In copied words, “the historiography of present-day Alexandria is deeply dominated by its classical history”. There are barely any connections to the city as a living organism where millions live and coexist. The city of today is facing long-impacting political, economic, and social changes not to forget the approaching environmental issues. Most of the time those changes are in line with an absence of strategic vision and appropriate urban planning built upon a public participation process that provides and serves the real needs of society. Resulting in a deformed or unidentified urban fabric, impacting people’s quality of life, and creating social gaps and inequality among all levels of the Alexandrian society.
This situation can be viewed as one of duality. I believe that we consume and experience the present, but often fail to truly see it. Perhaps we are consciously choosing to ignore it because it does not align with our romanticized perception of the past. However, there is doubt in my mind as to whether this nostalgic view of the past was ever truly accurate.
Despite all, the city enjoys a wealth of tangible and intangible heritage that is being formed throughout layers of present and by a variety of contributors and users. The rapid and continuous urban growth/change has catalyzed people’s creativity. The city’s inhabitants sought to balance their lives within Alexandria. Despite the absence of theoretical and field analysis and understanding of modern society, people themselves have well understood what they need and rehabilitated the city in a way that made it work for them. They had transformed the spaces (the creation of the past) into livable places, turning the deteriorated environment into a pioneering, rich, and dynamic ecosystem. Yet, not a sustainable one.
I believe that we as architects, planners, and professionals need to stop searching for solutions inside our studios, rather we need to start looking for inspiration on-ground and within the people themselves. We need to build less and listen/observe more. Architecture is for people and all values and meaning are determined by people, in relation to place and time. In that respect, using social science methodologies can enhance our architectural and urban understanding of how modern Alexandrian society works, which is a key to a sustainable future.
Mohamed Gohar 