Project Promoting Unity and Intercultural Understanding Launches in Luxor

http://egyptianstreets.com/2015/04/17/project-promoting-unity-tolerance-and-intercultural-understanding-launches-in-luxor/

Project Promoting Unity and Intercultural Understanding Launches in Luxor

Roughly thirty people gathered in Luxor to kick off InBETWEEN’s international art project.

“InBETWEEN – a silent sign” – an international project promoting tolerance and intercultural understanding – debuted last Sunday at the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut in Luxor.

Around thirty people representing a dozen nationalities gathered round the historic temple in the name of unity across religions, nations, castes, genders and socio-cultural divides. Many came dressed in white, which in ancient Egypt was the symbolic colour for the love of silence, stability and being connected to the earth. Noted participants included Egyptian artist Alaa Awad, Egyptian fashion designer Sara Hegazy and Ramses Egyptsson from the International Association of Egyptians Abroad (IAEA), as well as a group of students from the High Institute for Tourism and Hotels in Luxor.

Along with professional photographers, namely Claus Rudolph from Germany and Ossama Boshra from Egypt, participants were encouraged to take “selfies” and submit them to the “InBETWEEN” project.

Participants in Vancouver Photo: Natasha Wheatley

The event in Luxor marked the beginning of a wider international art project, with similar events already being planned in Hamburg, Melbourne, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Stockholm and Vancouver. The best images collected from all participating cities will be presented in an exhibition that will tour the world, beginning in Luxor after the summer. This will be supplemented by an art exchange between Germany and Egypt, where representatives from Luxor will travel to Hamburg to set up a contemporary art exhibition that relates to the project’s philosophy.

The “InBETWEEN” initiative aims to build bridges between Luxor and different countries around the world, as well as connect people across identities. Patrons of the project include Dr Mohamed Badr, Governor of Luxor, the IAEA and the Féderation Internationale de l’Art Photographique (FIAP). Other project ambassadors include renowned archaeologists, Egyptologists, artists, entrepreneurs and publishers.

To find out more about “InBETWEEN”, and to follow the project’s next steps, check out their Facebook page.