Aga Khan Trust for Culture: Architecture Forum in Alexandria
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Alexandria, 20 November 2005— The Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), in collaboration with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), is organizing the 2005 Architecture Forum in Alexandria, which will take place today at the BA.
The Forum will look into architectural trends and thinking in various parts of the Muslim world. It will include a DVD presentation featuring the 2004 Master Jury of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture; followed by a round-table discussion on four critical areas of social meaning, addressing the challenges and future prospective of architecture in the Muslim world. The sessions include: History and historical memory in a pluralist perspective; Integrating private initiatives into the emerging public sphere; Expression of individuality in complex social settings; and Articulation of power and authority in technology, culture, and economics.
The AKTC is the cultural agency of the Aga Khan Development Network. It was formally established in 1988 in Geneva as a private philanthropic foundation to integrate and co-ordinate the various initiatives of His Highness the Aga Khan regarding the improvement of cultural life in societies where Muslims have a significant presence.
AKTC encompasses three programs: The Aga Khan Award for Architecture, established in 1977 as a precursor of the Trust, it is the world’s largest prize for architecture; The Historic Cities Support Program was set up in 1991 to implement conservation and urban revitalization projects in culturally significant sites of the Islamic world; and The Education and Culture Program which consists of five major units: the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, established in 1979; Archnet (www.archnet.org); the Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia; the Aga Khan Humanities Project; and the Museum Projects.