Seventh Lisbon Architecture Triennale

Palestinian scholar Edward Said (1978) introduced the concept of Imaginative Geography to describe the manipulation of space through imagery and text in ways that shape human perception. Notions such as “nothingness,” “emptiness,” and “silence” have historically constructed scenes that provoke and reinforce Western biblical imagination which tends to capture, control and ‘modernise’.

Drawing on the work of Said, we argue that the current erasure and attempt to ‘reinvent’ the city of Gaza, is enacted not only through military aggression but also through an occupation of the imagination. As a means to challenge the distorted colonial narrative and mental aggression, we try to rethink the role of architecture and spatial practice as a tool to heal, reclaim and empower. 

Nasser Golzari is an architect, academic, and founding principal of NG Architects and of Architects for Gaza. As Course Leader at University of Westminster, he pursues socially rooted architecture through historical and contemporary research on sustainability, cultural identity, and urban regeneration. Co-founder of PART and of Architects for Gaza, both with Yara Sharif, he works on self-help reconstruction initiatives alongside community-led planning across war-torn landscapes. His award-winning collaborations—including with Riwaq—span sustainable design infrastructure in Palestine and exhibitions across London, Sharjah, Venice and others.