Architecture of Commonality: Grounds for Hope is a collection of essays and interviews expounding on the role of museums and cultural institutions in Palestine and the Arab world. The book is guided by reflections on the Palestinian Museum in Birzeit, which won the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
The genesis of the Palestinian Museum provides a framework for a variety of voices. The role played by architecture in the orchestration of memorialisation is examined, along with the significance of curatorial strategies that respond to situations of conflict – ultimately touching on the blurred boundaries between architecture, landscape, and land art.
Mirroring the deep ties that the Palestinian Museum and its gardens hold with the ground and the landscape, this collection of essays and interviews is structured around four main themes: Walks, Stones, Seeds, and Voices. The book moves beyond the project itself to invite reflection on the positive role of cultural institutions in planting hope for the future, while situating the
conversations within the political and historical framework of the region.
With contributions by Nadi Abusaada, Amin Alsaden, Omar Al-Qattan, Elias and Yousef Anastas, Mirna Bamieh, Meisa Batayneh, Tomà Berlanda, Farrokh Derakhshani, Beshara Doumani, Róisín Heneghan, Walter J. Hood, Alexandre Kazerouni, Adrian Lahoud, Adila Laïdi-Hanieh, Ella Neumaier, Nabil Qaddumi, Raja Shehadeh, Cristina Steingräber, Hanan Toukan, Shadia Touqan, Sarah Zahran, and Lara Zureikat.