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[caption id="attachment_366" align="alignnone" width="300"] After months of anticipation, the day had come...[/caption][caption id="attachment_367" align="alignnone" width="300"] … the participants arrived and gathered at the OIB for a cozy get-together, eating hot food…[/caption][caption id="attachment_368" align="alignnone" width="300"] … before bracing the storm and making their way to Karantina…[/caption][caption id="attachment_369" align="alignnone" width="300"] … where divercities kicked off on 12 December 2013...[/caption][caption id="attachment_370" align="alignnone" width="300"] … with a rich programme.[/caption][caption id="attachment_371" align="alignnone" width="300"] Fortunately not only the speakers had found their way to the Philka building...[/caption][caption id="attachment_372" align="alignnone" width="300"] The first panel, "Claims and Agency", started with an introduction by discussant Omar Abdulaziz Hallaj...[/caption][caption id="attachment_374" align="alignnone" width="300"] … before Roman Stadnicki took the floor...[/caption][caption id="attachment_373" align="alignnone" width="300"] … to talk about "The Emergence of Urban Activism in Cairo since the 2011 Revolution".[/caption][caption id="attachment_375" align="alignnone" width="300"] Next speaker Omar Nagati introduced "competing narratives inscribed on Cairo's urban landscape", and presented some of CLUSTER's findings that have recently been published in "Archiving the City in Flux".[/caption][caption id="attachment_376" align="alignnone" width="300"] Hiba Bou Akar spoke about "Beirut's Geographies of the 'War Yet to Come'".[/caption][caption id="attachment_377" align="alignnone" width="300"] The discussion was lively...[/caption][caption id="attachment_378" align="alignnone" width="300"] …people had questions…[/caption][caption id="attachment_379" align="alignnone" width="300"] … and comments…[/caption][caption id="attachment_380" align="alignnone" width="300"] …and questions and comments…[/caption][caption id="attachment_381" align="alignnone" width="300"] … while some were immersed in fascinating literature.[/caption][caption id="attachment_382" align="alignnone" width="300"] [no comment :-)][/caption][caption id="attachment_383" align="alignnone" width="300"] The panel continued, this time moderated by Mona Fawaz. Maryam Amiri spoke about "Tehran Urban Space under the Rationale of Sales Price"[/caption][caption id="attachment_384" align="alignnone" width="300"] … and Nada Moumtaz about "Practices of Commoning: Public utility and religious interest in the waqfs of contemporary Beirut".[/caption][caption id="attachment_385" align="alignnone" width="300"] The talks stimulated more questions and comments...[/caption][caption id="attachment_386" align="alignnone" width="300"] … and questions…[/caption][caption id="attachment_387" align="alignnone" width="300"] … and comments…[/caption][caption id="attachment_388" align="alignnone" width="300"] … and questions…[/caption][caption id="attachment_389" align="alignnone" width="300"] … and comments.[/caption][caption id="attachment_390" align="alignnone" width="300"] A deserved break led downstairs to a visitor from the Bus Cemetery who had been brought back to life.[/caption][caption id="attachment_391" align="alignnone" width="300"] Captain Pop was waiting to greet the passengers and take them on an imaginary bus ride through Beirut…[/caption][caption id="attachment_392" align="alignnone" width="300"] … protected by many.[/caption][caption id="attachment_393" align="alignnone" width="300"] The afternoon panel discussion revolved around Beirut's urban future, with Nadim Abu Rizk, Amira Solh, Omar Abi Azar and Vladimir Kurumilian, moderated by Rami Khouri.[/caption][caption id="attachment_395" align="alignnone" width="300"] Despite the cold we hadn't lost our audience.[/caption][caption id="attachment_396" align="alignnone" width="300"] A heated discussion...[/caption][caption id="attachment_397" align="alignnone" width="300"] … kept everybody warm...[/caption][caption id="attachment_398" align="alignnone" width="300"] … and focused.[/caption][caption id="attachment_399" align="alignnone" width="300"] The next day started with Dictaphone Group's "This Sea is Mine"...[/caption][caption id="attachment_400" align="alignnone" width="300"] … although the fishing boats had to remain in the port due to Storm "Alexa".[/caption][caption id="attachment_401" align="alignnone" width="300"] The talks continued in the afternoon at Zico House, starting with Nazanin Shahrokni's "A Gender-Divided City? An inquiry into the spatial politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran"[/caption][caption id="attachment_402" align="alignnone" width="300"] … followed by Mathew Gagné's "Expanding Queer Spaces in Beirut: Mobile communications technologies and contestations to heteronormative space"[/caption][caption id="attachment_403" align="alignnone" width="300"] … with the provocative discussant Robert Saliba.[/caption][caption id="attachment_405" align="alignnone" width="300"] After a short break the session continued with Nahid Siamdoust's "Tehran's Soundscape and the Public Sphere"[/caption][caption id="attachment_406" align="alignnone" width="300"] and Akram Rayess and Mazen Haidar's "Pubic Sounds, Private Spaces: Towards a Fairouz Museum in Zoukak el-Blat"[/caption][caption id="attachment_404" align="alignnone" width="300"] before the floor was opened to questions..[/caption][caption id="attachment_407" align="alignnone" width="300"] and comments and questions...[/caption][caption id="attachment_408" align="alignnone" width="300"] and questions and comments...[/caption][caption id="attachment_409" align="alignnone" width="300"] … and comments and questions...[/caption][caption id="attachment_410" align="alignnone" width="300"] … and questions...[/caption][caption id="attachment_411" align="alignnone" width="300"] and comments.[/caption][caption id="attachment_412" align="alignnone" width="300"] Dictaphone Group presented some of their projects at the end of the day, with Tania El Khoury[/caption][caption id="attachment_413" align="alignnone" width="300"] Abir Saksouk-Sasso[/caption][caption id="attachment_414" align="alignnone" width="300"] and Petra Serhal.[/caption][caption id="attachment_416" align="alignnone" width="300"] After some more discussion...[/caption][caption id="attachment_417" align="alignnone" width="300"] and more...[/caption][caption id="attachment_418" align="alignnone" width="300"] and more...[/caption][caption id="attachment_419" align="alignnone" width="300"] … it was time for dinner![/caption][caption id="attachment_420" align="alignnone" width="300"] Day 3 started with an introduction by Ghassan Maasri...[/caption][caption id="attachment_421" align="alignnone" width="300"] … Lord of the Mansion...[/caption][caption id="attachment_422" align="alignnone" width="300"] … the venue for the day.[/caption][caption id="attachment_423" align="alignnone" width="300"] Anton Escher moderated the first two talks of the last panel "Open Air Spaces of Gathering: Norms and Practices"...[/caption][caption id="attachment_424" align="alignnone" width="300"] with Lucie Ryzova talking about "Strolling in Enemy Territory: Contested spaces and spatial practices in Downtown Cairo, a historical analysis"...[/caption][caption id="attachment_425" align="alignnone" width="300"] and Soraya Batmanghelichi on "Red Lights in the Park".[/caption][caption id="attachment_426" align="alignnone" width="300"] The critical audience...[/caption][caption id="attachment_427" align="alignnone" width="300"] … again participated widely...[/caption][caption id="attachment_428" align="alignnone" width="300"] with comments and questions...[/caption][caption id="attachment_429" align="alignnone" width="300"] and questions and comments...[/caption][caption id="attachment_430" align="alignnone" width="300"] and comments and questions.[/caption][caption id="attachment_431" align="alignnone" width="300"] Rana ElNemr presented her image-based "Olympic Garden" project...[/caption][caption id="attachment_432" align="alignnone" width="300"] …before a lavish lunch prepared with love by Food Heritage.[/caption][caption id="attachment_433" align="alignnone" width="300"] The final session was moderated by Mona Harb...[/caption][caption id="attachment_434" align="alignnone" width="300"] and despite the after-lunch hour we had a full house.[/caption][caption id="attachment_435" align="alignnone" width="300"] Maïa Sinno started the panel with "The 'Gulfization' of the Cairo Downtown 'Corniche' Behind Differentiating Social Practices"...[/caption][caption id="attachment_436" align="alignnone" width="300"] followed by Abir Saksouk-Sasso's "Contesting National Authority in the Construction of Public Space: The making of communal spaces in Beirut"[/caption][caption id="attachment_437" align="alignnone" width="300"] and the last talk "Rethinking Public Space in Beirut since the Ta'if Agreement: From the reconstruction-reconciliation discourse to 'sphere-building'", by Konstantin Kastrissianakis.[/caption][caption id="attachment_438" align="alignnone" width="300"] There were more questions...[/caption][caption id="attachment_439" align="alignnone" width="300"] and questions...[/caption][caption id="attachment_440" align="alignnone" width="300"] as it got colder...[/caption][caption id="attachment_441" align="alignnone" width="300"] and colder...[/caption][caption id="attachment_442" align="alignnone" width="300"] and colder...[/caption][caption id="attachment_443" align="alignnone" width="300"] … in fact, freezing![/caption][caption id="attachment_444" align="alignnone" width="300"] Anton Escher wrapped it all up.[/caption][caption id="attachment_445" align="alignnone" width="300"] "Is it really all done?!"[/caption][caption id="attachment_446" align="alignnone" width="300"] Goodbye and see you again![/caption]