The project aims to develop prototypes that enable for new modes of architectural representation that challenge narratives of colonialism, reveal hauntings of complex histories and reconstruct narratives that have been marginalised and forgotten through the use of archival sources, websites, books, essays and drawings. The project utilises rhizomatic tactics to create the prototypes in the form of drawings, instruments, models and videos. The project relies heavily on drawing and also uses the writings of Robin Evans in his book “Translations from Drawings to Buildings and Other Essays” which examines architecture manifesting through drawing. That the building doesn’t come before the drawing. As architects we always labour through an intervening medium, not working directly with the object of our thought which influences the architecture we create.

 

The project focuses on Modern Egypt between the 19th and 20th century, specifically during the reign of the Mohammed Ali Dynasty and the Occupation of Colonial powers in Egypt. This period represents a complex blend of histories and narratives from different groups such as labourers, locals, and foreigners that are overpowered by the privileged perspectives of the ruling regimes and colonialism.