In Retreat 2016

101 Things I learned in Architecture School DURING WAR

A series of sketches documenting pieces of the chaotic Mosaique embodied by the urban, architectural, and academic scenes in Syria during war, elaborated on with text detailing certain valuable experiences that cannot be lived except in times of war. The project is mainly considered with highlighting lessons learnt from war in architecture-related fields, whether we’re talking […]

Are we living here?

Are we living here? Rami Bakhos/ Damascus/ Syria Victoria Amoghlian /Damascus /Syria   Those are not from unreal perspective; they are reflection of reality. These will certainly make us give some thought to our life, our goals, our dreams and our daily habits. we may seek for more meaningful existence. People are living with a […]

Cities are Mirrors of Their People

Cities are Mirrors of Their People Shaden Sharaf Eddin/ Damascus / Syria The relationship between city and individuals is a mutual relationship, even in its ruin, because  negative relations and social exclusion was one of the symptoms internists of physical ruin that resulted after the war, and spatial ruin spread to include the safe parts […]

Distorting Civic Surgery

Distorting Civic Surgery: The Peaceful War-torn Damascus Hazem Raad/Damascus/ Syria   The ancient core of Damascus has always been the central touristic attraction of the city, not only for foreigners, but for the city and country inhabitants as well, capturing its every visitor with its historic and religious value, and extending millenniums into the past. […]

Floating In-Between

Areej Alchalabi/ USA  What happens if we witnessed the destruction of what defines our identity. Floating In-Between is a project that explores the process of identity reorientation in the case of immigration and the changes of the common lived- environments. In which the practice of forming the new identity is not restricted in space or […]

Identity and Absence; the Problematic

Identity and Absence; the Problematic Yara Al-Heswani/ Damascus/ Syria “An immigrant is double absent: absent in the place from which he arrived, and absent in the place to which he arrived.” -Pierre Bourdieu¹. Millions of people were forced to leave their homes in Syria, and a good few chose to immigrate to Europe dreaming of […]

Invisible Cities

Of Horizons and Men

Of Horizons and Men Osama Abou-Samra / Paris / France   We live and grow, as human beings, as spaces, our belongings, our needs, it is a universal constant process and a principle by which the world works with, we live and grow and our cities are no exception. It requires positive and engaging behavior […]

The Fading Image of Syria on a Syrian Mind

The Fading Image of Syria on a Syrian Mind Sammy Zarka/ Turin/ Italy   Retreated and safe physically, yet in his mind is an endless ongoing conflict, and a phenomenon that is yet to be diagnosed. The unique narrative of how he ended up in exile makes it anything but normal to move to a […]

The New Rule Of The Syrian Conflict

When The City Leaves Itself

When The City Leaves Itself Saeed Kendakji/ Beirut/ Lebanon Cities are generally built from components and basic levels associated with each other’s, and if one of them is disrupted, the city would lose its identity and original composition. These levels can be divided into three main levels, the population level, the urban, and the natural. […]