At the sight of graffiti amid a historic site, the usual, or expected, reaction is one of disdain or anger, right? The huge colorful paintings of cartoon characters on the walls of an ancient necropolis in Cairo’s City of the Dead, however, are instead drawing interest from locals and tourists alike because of the creative blending of the ancient and the contemporary. And that’s exactly the aim of “Outside In: the Art of Inclusion,” a project mounted within the 15th century complex built by Mameluk Sultan al-Ashraf Qaitbey which has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site .
“What we want to do is to bring together the old heritage, the traditions of this particular place, with creative contemporary art and with various cultural events to promote diversity. Old meets new, death and life come together in the city of the dead, where we can exchange ideas and culture between East and West,” Agnieszka Dobrowolska, the Polish architect who leads the project, told Reuters.
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And so a mural featuring Pharaonic cat being kept on a leash by Frankie the mouse adorns the wall of one of the buildings in the ancient complex. Locals have welcomed the effort, saying it has helped attract tourists from around the world.
Source: designfaves.com