No Borders

(Presence and Absence)

Can we be in two cities at the same time? Would borders between countries be erased? If so would this be possible even if it is for a short time?

Imagine yourself walking in Glasgow and then you find yourself in Damascus. Or walking in Paris and then you end up being somewhere in Jerusalem. What if George Square turns to be the courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque and the gate at the Royal Exchange Square is the Eastern gate in old Damascus or the gate of the Jupiter temple at the entrance of AL Hamidiyah Souk?

The project is a tale of two cities (broadcasting/host and receiver city). It is a reflection of six parameters of a city that is becoming a twin with another city for a short period of time while leaving its twinning evidence in both cities forever. The six parameters include: History, Art, Architecture, Culture, Storytelling and innovations. The parameters are displayed in the host city using digital art and advanced technologies that immerse visitors with stories of the twin city. It is a broad idea that can be applied between any two cities while Glasgow is the global coordinating centre. The twining process is associated with urban projection that transform a public space in the receiver city into another public space existing in the broadcasting city which would blur borders through a light festival and advanced technologies that does not only put us in the physical environment of another city but also bring us feelings, experiences and thoughts of people from the other part of the world. The case study in this project deals with Glasgow and Damascus as receiver and broadcasting cities respectively.

George Square in Glasgow that celebrates the history of Glasgow will also celebrate its international reputation and its multicultural by hosting the international art exchange hub that tells stories of other nations and enhances collaborations between cities around the world.

The project is an opportunity for building cultural connections through sharing art and experiences that connect cultures and nations across geographical, historical, cultural and political borders.