CAIRO: On the occasion of the launch of her photographic exhibition and book named ‘DUST', Swedish photographer Xenia Niokolsaya will participate to a symposium on May 12th at Rawabet Theatre on Egypt's abandoned architectural heritage, during which she will present her recently published book. Together with historians, architects, artists and theorists, the panelists will discuss a myriad of issues relating to the architectural legacy in light of their individual research and projects. ‘Dust' is complex and multi‐layered in photographic project that its qualities not only span the artistic, but also have the added value of documenting Egypt's fading and forgotten architecture. In addition to the aesthetic value, Nikolskaya's series that consist of 70 images from thirty locations in Egypt, including Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Minya, Esna, Port Said and villages around the Delta, is also a valuable source of in‐depth information, baring long‐term witness to a country's ongoing economic and social changes. When the artist first embarked on this project in 2006, she was driven by curiosity. But with Egypt coincidentally progressing though a momentous shift in its history, ‘Dust' has come to illustrate an economic stagnation, which has engulfed Egypt over the past three decades. Nikolskaya's project underlines the significance of documenting a country in its transformative phase, and highlights the urgency of reflecting on Egypt's history in order to understand its future.
