Commissioner: Arts and Culture Development Foundation under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Curators: Emanuel Christ, Christoph Gantenbein
Exhibitors: Carlos Casas, Bas Princen
Uzbekistan (Republic of)
Mahalla: Urban Rural Living
Album
Description
Historically built around family ties and the daily life of the community, mahallas represent an ancient form of “living together”, many variations on which can be found in large parts of Asia. In Uzbekistan, where the tradition occurs mainly as a genuinely rural space embedded within an urban context, this indigenous cultural institution takes on a specific meaning. The mahallas convey a sense of proximity and intimacy while creating precise spaces of assembly that the community puts to intensive use. At a time when the ecosystem of the anonymous megacity is literally reaching its limits, the need for alternatives is greater than ever. Can the social organisation of these neighbourhoods and their various architectural formations as low-rise / high-density structures offer urban society a sustainable and ecological model?
Biennale Sneak Peek
Biennale Sneak Peek
Image 1 – How will we live together?
At a time when the ecosystem of the anonymous megacity is literally reaching its limits, the need for alternatives is greater than ever. Can the organization of the Uzbek mahalla and their various architectural formations as low-rise / high-density structures offer urban society a sustainable and ecological model?
Photo: Christ Gantenbein / ETHZ
Image 2 – Sneak peek of the project
The phenomenon of the mahalla – urban rural neighbourhoods which can be found in Tashkent – is approached by means of a layering of different scales of representation. In this artistic and scientific investigation, digital and analogue media will be confronted in an atmospheric experience.
Photo: Christ Gantenbein / ETHZ
