Cairobserver`s 5th issue, titled `University` reflects on architectural education, reform of higher education in Egypt, the evolution of alternative education, the relationship between authorities and university faculty, the representation of university life in Arabic literature and cinema, the development of fine arts education in Egypt, and the relationship between campuses and their surrounding neighborhoods.
For the launch, editors Mohamed El Shahed and Shaimaa Ashour invited some of the writers to discuss their articles with the audience. They were joined by Nabil El Hady, Professor of Architecture at Cairo University; Farida Makar, researcher and lecturer in the history of education at the American University in Cairo; artist, writer and director Ahmed Shawky; and Abeer Rabei, Assistant professor in Political Science department at Cairo University.
The publication launch was followed by a photography exhibition titled "SURPLUS! Housing from the Periphery" curated by Shahed at the Townhouse Gallery. It presents 18 photographs by Anthony Hamboussi curated from “Cairo Ring Road,” a larger project spanning four years composed of 180 photographs of urban and architectural landscapes. The images, captured in peripheral locations, depict the immense scale of excessive residential building activities, high density and often-uninhabited dystopian vistas of housing in contemporary Cairo.
[This video was produced by Medrar TV and is featured in partnership with Jadaliyya Culture]