London Festival of Architecture in collaboration with Places of ARcture with the support of the British Council are inviting Local Graduate Architects who practice in Aleppo, Syria to host a talk & debate at the Victoria & Albert Museum discussing the importance of protecting cultural heritage in their home city of Aleppo, within their own practice.
In a country devastated by 11 years of conflict, this event will highlight some of the surviving architectural heritage in the ancient part of the Aleppo city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The discussions will explore the challenges of preserving and restoring a living heritage site, whilst respecting and incorporating the needs of the local people connected to the area.
Through a series of presentations, short film screenings and a Q&A, we will discover the different ways that these architects are positioning the identity of the city, its tangible and intangible heritage, as the cornerstones of its reconstruction.
Speakers:
Laura Searson, Cultural Heritage Preservation Lead, V&A (Host)
Muhammad Achour, Director and Founder of Places of ARcture
Dania Al-Shelhawi, Graduate Architect, Projects & Events Coordinator at Places of ARcture
Mohamad Al-Assali, Architect, PhD student majoring in Archaeology at the Higher Institute for The History of Arabic Science, Aleppo Syria.
This event is programmed in collaboration with the V&A’s Culture in Crisis Programme. https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/gDDLlW1xl1/culture-in-crisis-saving-aleppo-s-heritage-jun-2022
Image: Photographer Georges Moubayed
