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25 Jan. Egyptian Revolution Pavilion “Hope through Unity” By: Mariam El Ibyari.
Design Studio II. Dr. Magda Mostafa. Dr. M. Noaman. The American University in Cairo
Objective: Create a temporary pavilion that will be placed in the American University in Cairo to represent the Egyptian Revolution (25th January Revolution) and for display of “The University on the Square” project which includes archives and accurate media documentation of the event.
Concept of the Pavilion “Hope through Unity” The Egyptian revolution is represented by a prism that unites the different parties (colors of the light spectrum) in Egypt and creates the white light (hope) out of them (prism effect). The walls of the pavilion are made from colored glass, representing the different parties, and transparent glass bringing white light in (hope) and uniting the colors (parties).
The Experience The pavilion is divided into five display halls, each hall creating a different experience, and the one way circulation assures that the visitors will pass through these halls in the right order, so that the message of the pavilion and the exhibited objects is conveyed properly. The first hall is the smallest, and it has light effects from the overlap of 4 colored walls, which create an interesting space and colored lighting. The following hall is a bit larger and it has light effects and visual effects from the overlap of three colored glass walls. This goes on until the fifth (last) hall is reached, it is the largest, and at this point all the glass is transparent to create white light that represents the end of this hopeful journey and the beginning of a new one because now the main entrance gain of the university is seen, which is a symbol of education and freedom. As for the entrance of the building, the visitor will be standing along the colored walls, and going into the pavilion, seeing the end, but not knowing how to reach it yet because of the design of the circulation and the sequence of halls, which will create a sense of hope that the destination needed will be reached even though the means are still not clear.
Mariam El Ibyari May 2011