PublicationsGROUNDED URBAN PRACTICES IN BERLINYear: 2020 Independent urban actors in Berlin, as in many other cities in Europe and across the globe, are critically engaged advocates for a more just urban environment, inclusive housing policies and diverse public spaces. While the number and impact of alternative, locally-rooted and experimental urban practitioners continues to grow worldwide,…
ProgramsWatch Video CREATVITY IN ACTION: ENHANCING VISUAL IDENTITYYear: 2020 Location: Ard al-Liwa Scope: Workshops As part of the Creativity in Action project supported by Developing Inclusive and Creative Economies (DICE) to promote creative and social enterprises, and in partnership with DUCO, CLUSTER’s ALFABRIKA carried out its first Urban Shutters workshop on December 25th- 27th 2020.…
DesignTHE LOST COMMUNITY GARDENYear: 2020 Location: Lagos, Nigeria Scope: Design The Lost Community Garden Project is a project based in Lagos, the most populous city in Nigeria and the African continent. It is a collaboration between CLUSTER, hFACTOR and Ma-tt-er. The main idea of the project is to focus on plants providing a service to…
ResearchGROUNDED URBAN PRACTICES: BERLINYear: 2020 Location: Berlin Client: Creative Industries Fund NL Scope: Research Grounded Urban Practices (GUPs) refer to alternative initiatives engaging cities and public space that have emerged over the past decade in response to economic and political shifts. They engage space as an agent for change, an approach known as spatial activism,…
ProgramsDESIGN COMPETITION: TOWARDS SAFER COMMUTINGYear: 2020 Location: Ard al-Liwa Scope: Program CLUSTER’s ALFABRIKA launched its first design competition in response to the COVID-19 outbreak and the consequent changes and restrictions impacting our social practice and perception of public space. This was a call for creative design solutions to address health and safety concerns in the…
ProgramsWatch Video DESIGN, CRAFT, BRAND: SOCIAL FURNITURE WORKSHOPYear: 2019 Location: Ard al-Liwa Scope: Workshops This workshop, the fourth under the ‘CLUSTER MAKES’ initiative (a series organized by CLUSTER-ALFABRIKA) has a two-fold goal. It aims to map out small crafts and furniture manufacturing workshops to understand the broader landscape of creative industries in Ard al-Liwa and…
ProgramsWatch Video DESIGN, CRAFT, BRAND: FAYOUM WORKSHOPYear: 2019 Location: Fayoum Scope: Workshops As part of the “Design, Craft, Brand” project, CLUSTER and Peacock for Art organized the “Design, Craft, Brand: Fayoum palm reed workshop” in collaboration with local partner FAODA. The project is supported by the Developing Inclusive and Creative Economies, DICE program. The workshop…
ProgramsWatch Video SCAVENGING JUNK, MAKING FURNITURE: UPCYCLING WORKSHOPYear: 2019 Location: Alfabrkia, Ard al-Liwa Scope: Workshops The objective of the first up-cycling workshop, “Scavenging Junk, Making Furniture,” was to engage artisans, introduce new applications of production, and experiment with functional designs while using waste materials in practical pieces of furniture. This second workshop in “cluster makes”…
ResearchLOCALIZING SDGs IN AFRICAN CITIESYear: 2019 Location: Cairo, Egypt and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Scope: Research This action-research project attempts to critique and propose alternative and more grounded approach to localizing SDGs in African cities, focusing on Cairo and Dar es Salaam. In 2015, a series of international standards and guidelines was formulated by national…
DesignMUGAMMA REVISITEDYear: 2019 Location: Downtown, Cairo Client: Mada Masr Scope: Design The government administrations housed in the infamous Mugamma building at Tahrir Square are most likely set to be replaced by a luxurious hotel, while the square itself is being renovated. Amid the digitizing of many government services and the relocation of core government functions…