September 2022 – ongoing; funded by the Embassy of the Netherlands.
The objective of the Patterns of Cairo project is to document, digitise, and democratise knowledge on patterns found within Historic Cairo, making them accessible to a wide audience. While various activities will take place to reach this objective, it will ultimately be manifested in the creation of an online open-access platform with a carefully curated selection of 200 patterns. The platform will include catered resources on patterns ranging from downloadable content such as vector files and images of patterns, historical and stylistic information on the patterns, as well as articles and features exploring alternative patterns that may not necessarily be decorative.
Through the creation of this platform, the project aims to contribute to the creative economy sector in Egypt by focusing on knowledge-sharing and providing easy access to the rich patterns and history of Historic Cairo for artists, craftspersons, and designers.
The activities of this 30-month project can be divided into three main categories:
Platform and content generation
The main output of the project will be the online platform which will become a rich resource for creators and scholars alike. Much of the work that goes into producing the platform is focused on producing the drawings, photographing, and researching each of the patterns in order to offer a complete and comprehensive pattern profile. Patterns are selected to represent different time periods, styles, applications, and media, highlighting the diversity and versatility of patterns in the context of Historic Cairo. The platform itself will be developed into a user-friendly interface offered in Arabic and English.
Dutch-Egyptian Cultural Exchange
The project has a strong cultural exchange component which is mainly presented in two international workshops which will take place. The first international workshop aims to bring together Dutch and Egyptian designers to exchange and develop ideas regarding the UX/UI of the platform itself. The second international workshop focuses more on the co-creation process between designers from different design specialties. In this workshop, during the pre-launch stage of the platform, Dutch and Egyptian designers will work towards experimenting with patterns from the platform to develop innovative products. Some of these will be prototyped and exhibited during the launch of the platform and project finalisation.
Awareness and Engagement
To increase the impact and dissemination of the platform, the project aims to raise awareness and establish a grounded community in the course of the development process and leading up to the launch. As such, the project relies on its social media presence via Instagram. Through the @patternsofcairo Instagram account, the Patterns of Cairo project is placed within the digital conversation amongst creators and designers, allowing engagement with the intended user base. In-line with the knowledge-sharing mission, presence on social media allows followers to share findings, engage in the dialogue, and introduce the concept of the Patterns of Cairo project to the current media landscape. Given the mainly digital mode of dissemination and access, activities are occasionally complemented with in-person and on-ground activities such as the cultural-exchange workshops and the Patterns of Cairo patterns competition.
The Patterns of Cairo project is implemented by Megawra and initiated by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Egypt as part of its commitment to the digitisation and democratisation of knowledge.
September 2022 – ongoing; funded by the Embassy of the Netherlands.
The objective of the Patterns of Cairo project is to document, digitise, and democratise knowledge on patterns found within Historic Cairo, making them accessible to a wide audience. While various activities will take place to reach this objective, it will ultimately be manifested in the creation of an online open-access platform with a carefully curated selection of 200 patterns. The platform will include catered resources on patterns ranging from downloadable content such as vector files and images of patterns, historical and stylistic information on the patterns, as well as articles and features exploring alternative patterns that may not necessarily be decorative.
Through the creation of this platform, the project aims to contribute to the creative economy sector in Egypt by focusing on knowledge-sharing and providing easy access to the rich patterns and history of Historic Cairo for artists, craftspersons, and designers.
The activities of this 30-month project can be divided into three main categories:
Platform and content generation
The main output of the project will be the online platform which will become a rich resource for creators and scholars alike. Much of the work that goes into producing the platform is focused on producing the drawings, photographing, and researching each of the patterns in order to offer a complete and comprehensive pattern profile. Patterns are selected to represent different time periods, styles, applications, and media, highlighting the diversity and versatility of patterns in the context of Historic Cairo. The platform itself will be developed into a user-friendly interface offered in Arabic and English.
Dutch-Egyptian Cultural Exchange
The project has a strong cultural exchange component which is mainly presented in two international workshops which will take place. The first international workshop aims to bring together Dutch and Egyptian designers to exchange and develop ideas regarding the UX/UI of the platform itself. The second international workshop focuses more on the co-creation process between designers from different design specialties. In this workshop, during the pre-launch stage of the platform, Dutch and Egyptian designers will work towards experimenting with patterns from the platform to develop innovative products. Some of these will be prototyped and exhibited during the launch of the platform and project finalisation.
Awareness and Engagement
To increase the impact and dissemination of the platform, the project aims to raise awareness and establish a grounded community in the course of the development process and leading up to the launch. As such, the project relies on its social media presence via Instagram. Through the @patternsofcairo Instagram account, the Patterns of Cairo project is placed within the digital conversation amongst creators and designers, allowing engagement with the intended user base. In-line with the knowledge-sharing mission, presence on social media allows followers to share findings, engage in the dialogue, and introduce the concept of the Patterns of Cairo project to the current media landscape. Given the mainly digital mode of dissemination and access, activities are occasionally complemented with in-person and on-ground activities such as the cultural-exchange workshops and the Patterns of Cairo patterns competition.
The Patterns of Cairo project is implemented by Megawra and initiated by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Egypt as part of its commitment to the digitisation and democratisation of knowledge.
Athar Lina is a participatory conservation initiative that aims to establish modalities of citizen participation in heritage conservation based on an understanding of the monument as a resource not a burden.
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