Real Fictions
Narratives for Cairo, Egypt
Concept, Exhibition at Venice Biennale ‘16 and ‘18
Status: Completed
This exploration reexamines how we perceive the world, blending fact and fiction into an aesthetic lens. It suggests that the "real" is less an objective truth and more an artistic reading of the world, shaped by social ideals and conventions that have developed over time. If the realities we inhabit are human-made constructs, can we ever transcend this anthropocentric framework?
By engaging in an aesthetic and design-driven analysis of urban environments, this study seeks to question and rewrite accepted truths behind familiar urban concepts. For example, infrastructure forms the backbone of cities, embedding a technotopian identity within urban life. Yet, in a city like Cairo, infrastructure becomes more than utility—it transforms into a patina that defines the city’s unique aesthetic.
This investigation begins by reimagining infrastructure as a medium for new urban aesthetics, challenging distinctions between the real and the fabricated, the designed and the pre-existing, the essential and the superfluous. The research focuses on the Qasr al-Nil Bridge in Cairo, transforming its existing landings and elements into prototypes for urban infrastructural spaces. These prototypes aim to inspire design innovation by reinterpreting the mundane and the urbane, unlocking new potentials in the overlooked fabric of the city.