CLUSTER TalksSmooth CityYear: 18 September 2023Rene BoerAmsterdam-based critic, curator, and organizer In cities around the world, a new urban condition is spreading rapidly, characterized by ever-increasing levels of ‘perfection’, efficiency, control, and the active eradication of any aberration or alternative. In the smooth city, urban space is sanitized and urban life is compressed into a…
CLUSTER TalksAncient Egyptian WoodworkingYear: 31 August 2023Amr OrensaA botanist by education, a passionate photographer and traveler, and a businessman, Amr Orensa is the design manager at Pinocchio, one of the foremost furniture manufacturers in Egypt. In 2016, Amr started Designdustry as an initiative that aims at bringing furniture designers and manufacturers together to exchange knowledge…
CLUSTER TalksAccounting For Small Businesses And EnterprisesYear: 27 July 2023Huda Hanafy Huda Hanafy, CLUSTER’s own finance manager, is a certified accountant with many years of experience working in the arts and culture field as well as owning a small business. During the talk, she will cover topics such as accounting for small businesses, tax compliance,…
CLUSTER TalksWays of Defeating Any Creative’s Worst Enemy: A White PaperYear: 15 August 2022Alaa El-Hadidy Every designer’s life revolves around creating something from nothing. This process is never straightforward, and there are constantly new difficulties and barriers to overcome, particularly when starting from scratch. In this session, I’ll try to discuss my own experience with…
CLUSTER TalksUnderstanding Valencia’s Urban Realm (Street Art & Public Parks)Year: 15 August 2022Salma ElBastyYoussra Zakaria This CLUSTER Talk presents the observation and research findings of a one month secondment in Valencia as part of the Transmaking program, funded by the European Union, by Salma Elbasty and Youssra Zakaria, both from CLUSTER Cairo. Through this work,…
CLUSTER TalksEgypt’s Modern Architecture Movement(1939- 1959) Social Housing & Rural ReformYear: 7 March 2022Ashraf Sami Abdalla In the face of Egypt’s pressing problems in the 1940s-50s, a new generation of Egyptian architects sought to develop a local modern movement as the appropriate architectural orientation providing the answers to the country’s socio-political and economic challenges. These…
CLUSTER TalksIf Ornament Is A Crime Then Why Did We Make It Our IdentityYear: 7 March 2022Yasmina Echair With a dazzling whiteness and an imperial green, while wandering in the streets of Tetouan, one quickly becomes aware of the presence of architecture in the city, far from being a simple tool to satisfy the need…
CLUSTER TalksThe Underlaying Urban Fabric of Minneapolis (Tools of Spatial Segregation)Year: 25 October 2021Noor Abdelhamid Today, Minneapolis is one of the most liberal metropolitan cities in the United States. Underneath this disguised liberalism are deep-rooted tools of spatial segregation that continue to shape the socioeconomic urban fabric and housing market of the city today. The…
CLUSTER TalksGrowing Up In Sultanate of Oman: A Summary Of The Sultanate’s Overlooked CultureYear: 20 September 2021May Sherif Looking at the heritage of the Sultanate of Oman, this presentation discusses its historical, environmental, and architectural dimensions, with an emphasis on the cultural diversity and tolerance characteristic of Omani society. The presentation raises an important question…
CLUSTER TalksIndigenous Architecture in Australia (Using Design To Reveal Layers Of History And Memory)Year: 30 October 2019Spencer Nash Australia is a country of 24 million people from a diverse range of backgrounds, yet the design community has a distinct lack of representation from the land’s first inhabitants. At present, it is estimated that there are…