© Onassis Stegi
Alexandria: (re)activating common urban imaginaries
The "Alexandria: (re)activating common urban imaginaries" project aims to take a fresh look at the relation between arts, heritage and urban life in the Mediterranean and in Europe, through the prism of the antic and modern cities of Alexandria, their creativity and cosmopolitanism. Organised with the support of the European Union's Creative Europe programme, it was the first European project led by the Mucem. The heritage of the Mediterranean city, remains insufficiently explored and understood. By facilitating the mobility of artists interested in comparatively interpreting the current urban fabric in European cities and Alexandria, while questioning existing perception through a scientific and historical awareness-raising approach, the project intends to give a voice to innovative reflections on the relationships established between creation, culture, heritage, and the development of the modern Mediterranean and European metropolis.
To do so, it relied on several tools shedding new lights on both Ptolemaic Alexandria and contemporary creativity:
- Nomadic artistic residencies between Egypt and Europe (‘Caravan: Thinking with Alexandria’ and ‘School for Sonic Memory’),
- Co-production of the exhibition ‘Alexandria. Past futures’, presented in Marseille and Brussels,
- Forums and showcases staging contemporary creations in both northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean, and
- Workshops addressed at a general audience and professionals, that aims to nurture the historical, societal and artistic knowledge.
Conceived as an enabler for European and Mediterranean cooperation, the project ran from 1 November 2020 to 31 December 2023.
The project's constellation brought together the Royal Domain and Museum of Mariemont, Bozar – Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels (Belgium), Mucem (France), Leiden University (Netherlands), Kunsthal Aarhus (Denmark), Undo Point Centre for Contemporary Art (Cyprus), Onassis Stegi (Greece), Cittadellarte - Fondazione Pistoletto (Italy), CLUSTER (Egypt), the French Institute in Alexandria (Egypt) and Theatrum Mundi (UK).
Key Figures:
11 partner institutions
38 months of activities
19 countries
2 exhibitions
8 art showcases
95 750 visitors
9 nomadic residencies
81 participants
5 workshops and conferences
With the support of
