THE LIQUID CONTINENT Project, Alexandria, Egypt

The major exhibition in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, an arts workshop, and a literary symposium all looked at the three great cities: Alexandria, Istanbul, and Venice to explore their Mediterranean identity and examine its place in the globalising world. The project was inspired by the trilogy of books The Liquid Continent by Nicholas Woodsworth, who was the guest of honour at the events. The two-weeks long art workshop in September 2010 at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Alexandria University brought together young artists from Alexandria, Istanbul, and Venice. In the symposium in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina authors and intellectuals debated the Mediterranean as a vector of intercultural communication. The exhibition presented the three cities through works of art and images in various media.

The project, intended to promote cultural dialogue across the Mediterranean, was co-financed by the Delegation of the European Commission to Egypt as part of its Local Cultural Activities Programme, and Mercedes Benz – Alexandria National Automotive. The Sofitel Cecil in Alexandria contributed by hosting the guests of the international symposium. The project was devised, designed, and carried out by ARCHiNOS Architecture, including the design and production of the exhibition. The events were organised in collaboration with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina – Alex Med Research Center, the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Alexandria University, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul, and Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia.