CLUSTER CAIRO

CLUSTER hosted on May 15th, 2026, its 29th session of the CLUSTER Talks series titled: “Maadi, Garden Utopia: Desires of Seclusion in a Cairo Suburb” by assistant researcher Abigail Toomey. The talk traced Maadi’s formation alongside Ebenezer Howard’s “garden city” vision, exploring how the suburb was shaped by foreign influence and upper-class desires for seclusion. It highlighted how “greening” operated not only as a planning ideal, but as a social mechanism of exclusion, sustained by the labor of gardeners, servants, and workers who remained outside the community they upheld. Through Maadi’s history, the session reflected on the broader social and urban transformations that shaped modern Egypt. Abigail Toomey is a recent Master’s graduate of the NYU Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies and the editor of Al Musafir magazine. Her work takes an interdisciplinary approach to questions of space, land sovereignty, and urban geography, with a focus on spatial politics in Cairo and the right to the city. قام مختبر عمران القاهرة - كلستر في 15 مايو 2026 بتنظيم الجلسة التاسعة والعشرون من سلسلة برنامج "مناقشات كلستر" بعنوان "المعادي: المدينة الحدائقية الفاضلة ورغبات العزلة في أحد ضواحي القاهرة"، وقدمتها الباحثة أبيجل توماي. تناولت المحاضرة نشأة المعادي بالتوازي مع رؤية "إبنيزر هاورد" لمفهوم "المدينة الحدائقية" مستكشفة كيف تشكلت الضاحية تحت تأثير الجاليات الأجنبية وتطلعات الطبقات العليا نحو العزلة. كما سلطت الضوء على كيفية "التشجير" ليس فقط كفكرة تخطيطية، بل كآلية اجتماعية للإقصاء، استندت إلى عمل البستانيين والخدم والعمّال الذين ظلوا خارج المجتمع الذي ساهموا في استمراره. ومن خلال تاريخ المعادي، عكست الجلسة التحولات الاجتماعية والعمرانية الأوسع التي شكّلت مصر الحديثة. حصلت آبيجيل توماي حديثًا على درجة الماجستير من مركز كيفوركيان لدراسات الشرق الأدنى بجامعة نيويورك، كما تشغل منصب محررة مجلة "المسافر". تتبنى توماي مقاربة متعددة التخصصات في تناول قضايا المكان وسيادة الأرض والجغرافيا الحضرية، مع تركيز خاص على السياسات المكانية في القاهرة ومفهوم الحق في المدينة.

اللغة العربية انظر اول تعليق CLUSTER is pleased to announce the conclusion of the pilot translation workshop of the first issue of Al Emara magazine. Founded in 1939 by architect Sayed Karim, Majallat al Emara was a pioneering Egyptian architectural publication that played a central role in promoting modernism across the Middle East, while engaging political and social transformations in the middle of the twentieth century, including housing, urban expansion, and rural development as well as questions of visual and cultural identities. This three-day pilot workshop forms part of a larger ongoing project dedicated to the translation of the full publication, alongside research into the historical context and architectural discourse shaping mid-20th-century Egypt, and reflections on contemporary architectural practice and urban policies. The workshop served as a testing ground for translation methodologies and the development of a collaborative framework for future phases. Organized in collaboration with Leibniz University Hannover, AUC Rare Books and Special Collections Library, and Cairo University, the workshop brought together researchers, professionals and students over three days of collective inquiry. Discussions traced thematic shifts and emerging editorial structures within the translated material, while examining the magazine’s visual language—including architectural projects, advertisements, and photography—in relation to contemporaneous local and international publications. The program also included a visit to the Villa of Sayed Karim in Maadi, preserved by the Karim family in its original condition. CLUSTER extends its thanks to all partners and participants who contributed to making this workshop possible.

اللغة العربية انظر أول تعليق CLUSTER is pleased to announce the conclusion of the mapping workshop in Samarkand to study the “third space” in Soviet-era microdistricts. Over the course of the week, students and trainers explored liminal and in-between (third) spaces in the Sat-tepo micro-district, those between public and private, within the broader neoliberal transformations, including commercialization of public space. Using a variety of mapping methods, students immersed themselves within the field through observation and interviews with locals. Field visits and archival research were complemented by lectures from local and international experts, offering interdisciplinary approaches. The workshop concluded with presentations where students visualized findings through maps, collages, and diagrams. The workshop raises a number of questions concerning the contestation and negotiation around these “third” spaces. It also offers a model for comparative frameworks to research challenges and transformations facing cities in the Global South. We would like to thank everyone who participated and helped make this experience possible. The workshop was organized by Art Station in collaboration with Dona Kulmatova @kulmatova_dona , Anastasia Galimova @angalimova (Uzbekistan), Omar Nagati and Hana Sayed (Cluster, Egypt), and Elisa Wynne-Hughes @dr_ewh (Cardiff University, UK), and implemented with the support of the British Council. Special thanks goes to the Samarkand State Architecture and Construction University (SamSACU) @samdaqueduuz for providing the venue and logistical resources for the workshop.

📢 Workshop Completed: Summing Up the Results The interdisciplinary workshop dedicated to exploring socio-spatial practices in residential neighborhoods has concluded in Samarkand. Over the course of the week, participants studied the Sattepo district, worked with methods of field documentation, mapping, and visual storytelling, and analyzed the urban environment and everyday practices of local residents. The final outcome was a presentation showcasing research results, visual materials, and participants’ interpretations. The project became a space for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and rethinking the urban environment through an interdisciplinary approach. We thank all participants, curators, and partners for their contribution to the project, their engagement, and the collaborative work throughout the week. 💛 Special thanks to the Samarkand State Architecture and Construction University ( SamSACU) @samdaqueduuz for their partnership and for providing the venue for the workshop. The project was organized by Art Station in collaboration with Dona Kulmatova @kulmatova_dona , Anastasia Galimova @angalimova (Uzbekistan), Omar Nagati @clustercairo (Cluster, Egypt), and Elisa Wynne-Hughes @dr_ewh (Cardiff University, UK), and implemented with the support of the British Council. 📷 @raskolnikovada

📎 Work continues in the Sattepo district of Samarkand. Here, participants are piecing together the city through everyday details, routes, encounters, movements, and habits that usually go unnoticed. We are documenting how the space truly lives through observations, conversations, and visual notes. Next comes the analysis of collected materials and preparation for the final presentation ! 🔥

English in first comment برنامج فني جديد ينطلق من مسرح “برجولا” بالعجوزة يسر “كلستر” الإعلان عن إطلاق برنامج “برجولا / على طول الخط للفنون”، وهو برنامج فني جديد يُقام على مسرح “برجولا” ومساحة “على طول الخط” بحديقة الطفل بالعجوزة، بدعم من “المجلس الثقافي البريطاني” برعاية “محافظة الجيزة” و”حي العجوزة”. تنطلق أولى فعاليات البرنامج بالتعاون مع “قبلة في الصحراء” من خلال: “الدنيا سينما” تجربة سينمائية جديدة في المساحات المفتوحة، تتيح للمتفرجين حرية الدخول والخروج خلال العرض، بعيدًا عن الشكل التقليدي لعروض السينما المحددة زمنيًا ومكانيًا. تعتمد العروض المختارة على العنصر البصري بصورة أساسية، بما يتناسب مع طبيعة العرض في الهواء الطلق. تقام الدنيا سينما الثلاثاء الأول من كل شهر، بدءًا من أبريل حتى يولية ٢٠٢٦ اليوم: الثلاثاء ٧ أبريل التوقيت: الساعة ٧ مساءً المكان: مسرح برجولا – حديقة الطفل بالعجوزة (6 أكتوبر سابقًا) حضور الفعالية مجاني تذكرة دخول الحديقة: ١٠ جنيهات مجانًا للأطفال حتى سن ٦ سنوات

The interdisciplinary workshop has started in Samarkand 🔥 Today marks the beginning of a week of collaborative urban research in Samarkand. Workshop participants will explore familiar residential areas from new perspectives, seeking to understand how everyday life unfolds within the urban environment. We will spend a lot of time walking through neighborhoods, observing, talking to residents, documenting what we see, and assembling a more holistic picture of the city from these details. The focus is on how people use the spaces around them, how these spaces change throughout the day, and what subtle, often unnoticed practices shape urban life. 📍 The workshop is hosted at the Samarkand State Architecture and Construction University ( SamSACU). @samdaqueduuz The project is organized by Art Station Uzbekistan in collaboration with Dona Kulmatova @kulmatova_dona , Anastasia Galimova (Uzbekistan) @angalimova , Omar Nagati (CLUSTER, Egypt) @clustercairo , and Elisa Wynne-Hughes (Cardiff University, UK) @dr_ewh . The project is supported by the British Council @uzbritish 📌 Follow the process — a week of observations, discoveries, and working with the city “from within” lies ahead. 📷Photos @raskolnikovada

CLUSTER is hiring, Position: Fabrication Lab Manager Responsibilities: Check post Required Qualifications: - At least Bachelor’s Degree in a related field. Background in any of the following: digital fabrication, woodworking, laser cutting, product design and development, and appropriate software. - At least three (3) years of professional management experience. - Hands on fabrication skills including, but not limited to: 3D printing, CNC router and laser cutting. Experience in managing the machines, including their maintenance. - Proficient in common desktop applications (web browsing, Microsoft Office Suite, image editing). Strong interpersonal skills as well as written and oral communication skills are essential for this position. Confidentiality, maturity, and professionalism at all times are essential for this position. Preferred Qualifications: - Experience in teaching and mentoring, especially in a community environment. - Experience with CAD/CAM applications, and design software. - Experience working in or using manufacturing/industrial and rapid prototyping technology and equipment. Full-time position Salary & Benefits: Negotiable This position reports directly to the company co-founders. Deadline for applications 11 March, 2026 Starting date: Immediately Please submit a CV to: [email protected] Subject of email: Fabrication Lab Manager Position Short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.

اللغة العربية انظر أول تعليق CLUSTER hosted on February 12th, 2026, its 28th session of the CLUSTER Talks series titled: “Making Away from Home: Work, Curiosity, and Craft in a New Country” by Artist and Content Maker Asem Kamal. This talk reflected on the experience of working and making in a country that is not one’s own. During Asem’s residency in Philadelphia, he navigated unfamiliar systems, spaces, and rhythms—learning how place reshapes process. Making by hand became a way to slow down, observe, and connect, both with materials and with people. Through a series of built objects and daily workshop encounters, he began to understand how curiosity, labor, and storytelling shift when one is outside one’s cultural and geographic comfort zone. The talk explored adaptation, creative humility, and how making can become a tool for listening, learning, and finding footing in a new environment. Asem Kamal is a DIY maker and content creator who brings ideas to life with his hands. He shares his passion for making through engaging videos on his YouTube channel, where he has amassed over 27 million views and 3 million followers across all platforms. Asem produces high-quality content about crafting, from recycling and gardening to home furniture, inspiring others to unleash their inner maker!

Workshop Art Station, Dona Kulmatova, Anastasiya Galimova (O‘zbekiston), Omar Nagati (CLUSTER,Egypt), Elisa Wynne-Hughes (Cardiff University, Buyuk Britaniya) tomonidan tashkil etilgan. Workshop British Council tomonidan qo‘llab-quvvatlanadi va Samarqanddagi Xalqaro Turizm va Madaniy Meros Universiteti “Ipak Yo‘li” bilan hamkorlikda o‘tkaziladi. 🔗 Vorkshop va ishtirok shartlari haqida batafsil ma’lumotni quyidagi havola orqali ko‘ring: /file/d/1l2QtDZwGklUY5sywi6ykiyQBDmeOnNFh/view?usp=drive_link — Воркшоп организован Art Station, Доной Кулматовой, Анастасией Галимовой (Узбекистан), Омаром Нагати (CLUSTER, Египет), Элисой Винн-Хьюз (Кардиффский университет, Великобритания. Воркшоп поддерживается Британским советом и проводится при содействии Международного Университета туризма и культурного наследия «Шелковый путь» в Самарканде. 🔗 Подробности о воркшопе и условиях участия читайте по ссылке: /file/d/1l2QtDZwGklUY5sywi6ykiyQBDmeOnNFh/view?usp=drive_link — The workshop is organised by Art Station, Dona Kulmatova, Anastasia Galimova (Uzbekistan), Omar Nagati (CLUSTER,Egypt), Elisa Wynne-Hughes, Cardiff University (UK). The workshop is supported by the British Council and hosted by Silk Road University in Samarkand. 🔗 For more details about the workshop and participation requirements, see the link: /file/d/1l2QtDZwGklUY5sywi6ykiyQBDmeOnNFh/view?usp=drive_link — 👥 @univ_silkroad_uz @uzbritish @clustercairo

‏اللغة العربية أنظر للتعليق الأول CLUSTER hosted on January 15th, 2026 its 27th session of the CLUSTER Talks series titled: “Cairo Design Week: Inside the Design Bubble” by Architect Hana Sayed. The talk examined Cairo Design Week as both a creative platform and an urban condition, situating the event within Cairo’s contested social and spatial landscape. It explored how CDW functions as a tool for visibility and cultural production while simultaneously producing moments of privatization and spectacle; raising questions around access, representation, and who the city is framed for during design week. Hana Sayed is an architect at CLUSTER and a graduate of the German University in Cairo, with international academic experience in Berlin and Stuttgart. Her practice is grounded in sustainability, cultural and contextual continuity, and user-centered spatial design, seeking to bridge material innovation with human-centered solutions within the built environment.

@SceneHome : A few years ago, Cluster - aka Cairo Lab for Urban Studies, Training and Environmental Research, an Egyptian platform for urban research and development - turned its attention to Agouza Park, a neglected area under Cairo’s 6th of October Bridge. For the team, it was an opportunity to test how community-driven design could reclaim forgotten land and reintroduce it as public space. This led to Along the Line, a linear project of small-scale interventions aimed at activating the park and encouraging local residents to use it again. The interventions were modest but strategic: a slide, dual-level swings for both adults and children, a foldable library, and a kiosk for puppet shows or small performances. These moments of interaction and play were designed to challenge the dominant narrative of securitised and commercialised parks in Cairo. "Rather than imposing a masterplan, Along the Line was about proposing a set of prototypes that could be replicated, adapted, and scaled elsewhere," Omar Nagaty, founder of Cluster, tells #SceneHome. As an extension of Along the Line, the Pergola Theatre emerged through a design collaboration between Cluster, the London-based @thiss.studio , and Cairo’s Orient Productions, specialists in cultural events and activation programs. Conceived as a more ambitious structure, the vision was to create a cultural and social anchor for the park. Developed under Anhar: Culture and Climate Platform in partnership with Art Jameel and the British Council, the project adopted a participatory design process, inviting community members to review multiple scenarios and incorporating their feedback into the final outcome. Read the full story at scenehome.com 🖊️ Huda Mekkawi 📸 @thegsstudio