Indiegogo is committed to accessibility. If you have difficulty using our site, please contact support@indiegogo.com for assistance or view our accessibility notice by clicking here

This campaign is closed

SIDEWALK SALON - 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo

A portrait of Cairo seen from its thousands of curious street chairs.

You may also be interested in

Caret Left
Caret Right
Closed
Closed
Closed
Closed
Closed

SIDEWALK SALON - 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo

SIDEWALK SALON - 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo

SIDEWALK SALON - 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo

SIDEWALK SALON - 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo

SIDEWALK SALON - 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo

A portrait of Cairo seen from its thousands of curious street chairs.

A portrait of Cairo seen from its thousands of curious street chairs.

A portrait of Cairo seen from its thousands of curious street chairs.

A portrait of Cairo seen from its thousands of curious street chairs.

David Puig
David Puig
David Puig
David Puig
1 Campaign |
Cairo, Egypt
$9,470 USD 145 backers
49% of $19,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

IN THE PRESS

                                    

                            

                        

             


               

    

             

                                                                                                                                   

                                         

                                                      

                                                                                                                                                                                         

                                     

                         

                              


                                                                                                                                                   

OUR STORY

We are David Puig and Manar Moursi, authors of Sidewalk Salon: 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo, a unique photographic documentation of original street chair designs that dot the sidewalks of Cairo and create an alternate portrait of the city through their lens.

We first took notice of the street chairs of Cairo in 2011, walking on Port Said Avenue, which straddles the city from North to South. “A funny thing about a chair: you hardly ever think it’s there”, the American poet Theodore Roethke once wrote. And yet that day, all of a sudden, those street chairs were there. Not one or two of them, isolated, but one after the other creating some kind of invisible thread along the sidewalk.

Repaired, stitched and embellished, those chairs age graciously despite being constantly on duty outdoors. The curiosity triggered by these common objects made us realize how essential they were to the everyday life of people who spend a considerable amount of time on the sidewalk. We realized we could understand Cairo and tell some of its stories from the perspective of those street chairs. 

Over the past 3 years we’ve collected more than a 1000 Polaroid images of the street chairs of Cairo as well as interviews with their owners. We’ve commissioned fiction and poetry inspired by street chairs to award winning writers from the city. In the past few months we’ve gone through a rigorous process of selecting and arranging those images in a book format. We have been working with the very talented Dutch Graphic Designer Sandra Kassenaar to create the visual identity of our book. Preview the book here: http://issuu.com/manarmorsi/docs/sidewalk_salon...

We are now almost ready to print Sidewalk Salon: 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo, and you can now join us on our journey through the streets of Cairo, and wander with us in the alleys of what we call "the biggest open-air chair museum of the world."

WHAT WE NEED

Since Sidewalk Salon: 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo is a full-color art book, its production and printing are expensive. Our goal is to have a publication of the finest quality available at an affordable price in Egypt and the rest of the world. We will be co-publishing our book with independent publishers from Europe and Egypt. Small independent publishers do a great job to give exposure and to distribute interesting projects like ours but have limited resources for their production. Your contribution to our campaign goes straight into the project, to cover final editing, agencies licenses, finalizing design, printing and shipping costs. With your support, we will be able to launch a first print edition of at least a thousand copies the book, and you will have your very own copy, as well as some other exclusive perks from our list!

For more info, check out the diagram below:


WHAT YOU GET

To thank you for your help we have prepared some very special perks that you will find in the right-hand column of this page. Many of our perks have been exclusively designed for this campaign. We are also offering artworks related to the campaign by some of our favorite Egyptian and international contemporary artists. No additional fees will be charged for the shipping of the perks.

ABOUT US

David Puig is a diplomat, translator and publisher from the Dominican Republic. He has worked in France, India and Egypt. In 2010, he launched Ediciones De a Poco, a publishing house focused on contemporary literature and art books from the Caribbean region. While in Delhi, he collaborated with Vislumbres, a literary magazine which brings together Latin American and Indian writers. His published translations to Spanish include the novel Les dollars des sables by Jean-Noel Pancrazi.

Manar Moursi’s work spans the fields of architecture, urbanism, design and art. In 2011, Manar founded Studio Meem (www.studiomeem.me) an interdisciplinary design studio based in Cairo. In 2014, in recognition of Manar’s architectural design work for Studio Meem, she received the ArcVision Women in Architecture Award. In addition to architecture, Studio Meem’s practice encompasses product design work.  In 2012 Studio Meem’s inaugural product line Off the Gireed, inspired by everyday street objects in Cairo, was awarded a Red Dot and a Good Design Award. Further to design work, Manar has worked on multiple art projects, the latest being a series of public art installations titled the “Wonder Box”. Her latest photography exhibition was shown at the Contemporary Image Collective in Cairo. It traveled regionally as part of a group exhibition titled “Next to Here” - curated by Constanze Wicke. Manar’s writings on urban issues have appeared in Thresholds, Lunch, Magaz and Al Masry El Yowm.

Indiegogo campaign video: Aida El Kashef

Music for the Indiegogo video: Aya Metwally

WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT OUR PROJECT

"A chair is a container that frames the human body presenting its greatness or fragility. Whether on a throne or stool we are all united in our act of sitting, resting, or in the pausing of energy. This book is a collective moment of, a much-needed, stillness and contemplation from a nation that has been in perpetual motion for over three years. Moving away from the metaphorical chair of power that dominates Egyptian authoritarianism, it presents portraits of mundane chairs, as silent commentators, narrating an overlooked but meaningful aspect of a nation’s urban existence." Basma Hamdy, Artist, designer and assistant professor at VCU Qatar. Co-author of Walls of Freedom.

“Cairo is a city that rarely runs on straight lines - instead it's a patchwork quilt of semi-hidden and contested spaces, and you can find a dusty street chair in every one of them. Manar and David have chosen a unique and alternative lens through which to explore the capital, and I can't wait to see the printed book.” Jack Shenker, Journalist and author currently working on a book exploring Egypt and resistance, to be published by Allen Lane and Penguin in 2015.

Sidewalk Salon is a beautiful collection of stories presenting fragments of life in Cairo though one of the city's most ubiquitous inanimate objects, the street chair.” Mohamed El Shahed, Founder and editor, Cairo Observer.

“If you’ve been to Cairo, you've probably wandered by more than a few repurposed, decrepit, charmingly Frankensteinian street chairs. Moursi and Puig spent years painstakingly documenting, mapping, and carefully curating these chairs for Sidewalk Salon, a beautiful ode to these inadvertent objects of art and the denizens who created them. In broad terms, the book is a journey through the last few tumultuous years of Cairo's history; but more specifically it is a tale about Egyptians—their struggle, passion, humor, and endurance—a story which unfolds as a walking tour of a fragmented city where conflict is rooted in the movement and reclamation of public space, the front lines of which are occupied by these fascinating chairs. This book is evidence that the streets, at least, are still in the hands of the people.” Yasmin Elayat, New media artist, interaction designer and technical director at Second Story.

“An invaluable project romanticizing the seemingly mundane, vividly illustrating the intricate and complex social landscapes of Cairo in the process. Posterity will look kindly upon the work of Moursi and Puig.” Joobin Bekhrad, Founder and editor, Reorient.

“Manar Moursi and David Puig's Sidewalk Salon engages Cairo through the ubiquity of its street chairs: each chair tells a unique story, together they create a complex and quirky portrait of Cairo's public spaces.” Beth Stryker, co-founder CLUSTER (Cairo Lab for Urban Studies, Training, and Environmental Research)

“Sidewalk Salon is an outstanding documentation of everyday ingenuity and creative adhocism, as displayed through a series of chairs, half ready-made and half invented to fit local and temporal needs of Cairo's citizens. The book showcases not only the remarkable traits of local craftsmanship, but also the material marks of a culture in revolt as manifest in urban space.” Lydia Kallipoliti, Assistant professor of architecture at Syracuse University and principal of EcoRedux Research Network and ANAcycle studio.

"An interesting and unique project I was lucky enough to take part in. This book documents a side of Cairo life that visitors and residents see every day but almost never take note of." Adam Talib, Assistant professor at the American University of Cairo and literary translator.

PERKS

We've created a reference diagram below with all the perks we are offering you! Please select a category from below. If your perk includes options (marked with a star) please follow the instructions below this diagram. If you are not interested in getting a perk,  but would still like to contribute to our campaign, you can simply select any category on the right then click "change perks" and pick the "no perk" option.

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR PERK : 

(only applies to perks that included options marked with a yellow star):

If you choose a perk with a postcard, poster, tote bag, digital print, original artwork you may select from below:

  1. Choose your perk category from the list above.
  2. Look at the list below and check for the CODE that corresponds with your choice.
  3. After you select your perk and enter your details, type the CODE corresponding to your choice in between brackets following your STREET ADDRESS. 
  4. PLEASE NOTE: if you do not enter a CODE we cannot guarantee your choices. Please email us the code if you forget to include it.

For questions send us an email at 1001chairscairo@gmail.com


Below are more detailed images of each of our perks with a clearer description.







OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT US

There are many ways in which you can help and support us!

If you can’t give money to our campaign there’s still lots you can do for Sidewalk Salon: 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo.

We need people around you to know about our project and you can become an ambassador of our campaign. Follow us and stay tuned for details: tweet about us, like us on Facebook, or write a blog post. Let people know what we are doing! Thanks for helping us get the word out.

Here's the short link again to our campaign: bit.ly/sidewalksalon

And our website: www.sidewalksaloncairo.com

You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

https://twitter.com/1001chairscairo
Looking for more information? Check the project FAQ
Need more information
Let us know if you think this campaign contains prohibited content.

Choose your Perk

featured

Signed Book + Tote Bag

$75 USD
+ 3 Posters + Wallpaper + Thank you. In addition to your signed copy of Sidewalk Salon: 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo, choose one Sidealk Salon Tote Bag design among the options below and enter the code of your choice next to your shipping address at checkout!
Estimated Shipping
July 2015
18 claimed

Cairo Chairs Desktop Wallpaper

$5 USD
Get a Sidewalk Salon: 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo Desktop Wallpaper created exclusively for this campaign. We will also thank you on our website.
Estimated Shipping
July 2015
0 claimed

Cairo Chair Postcard

$10 USD
+ Wallpaper + Thank you. Get a beautiful postcard with a striking image of a street chair from Cairo.
Estimated Shipping
July 2015
6 claimed

1 Cairo Chairs Foldout Poster

$20 USD
+ Wallpaper + Thank you. Choose 1 of our 3 Sidewalk Salon: 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo Foldout Posters designed exclusively for this campaign by Sandra Kassenaar, the designer of our book. Each foldout poster has 32 images of Street Chairs of Cairo on one side, and the location of those 32 chairs on the map of Cairo on the other side. Choose one option from the pictures below and enter the code of your choice next to your shipping address at checkout! (Posters are shipped folded)
Estimated Shipping
July 2015
3 claimed

2 Cairo Chairs Foldout Posters

$25 USD
+ Wallpaper + Thank you Get 2 of our 3 Sidewalk Salon: 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo Foldout Posters (Shubra and New Cairo) designed exclusively for this campaign by Sandra Kassenaar, the designer of our book. Each foldout poster has 32 images of Street Chairs of Cairo on one side, and the location of those 32 chairs on the map of Cairo on the other side. (Posters are shipped folded)
Estimated Shipping
July 2015
1 claimed

3 Cairo Chairs Foldout Posters

$30 USD
+ Wallpaper + Thank you. Get our 3 different Sidewalk Salon: 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo Foldout Posters designed exclusively for this campaign by Sandra Kassenaar, the designer of our book. Each foldout poster has 32 images of Street Chairs of Cairo on one side, and the location of those 32 chairs on the map of Cairo on the other side. (Posters are shipped folded)
Estimated Shipping
July 2015
1 claimed

Sidewalk Tote Bag + Poster

$35 USD
+ 1 Poster + Wallpaper + Thank you. We have exclusive Sidewalk Salon: 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo Tote Bags for this campaign designed by Manar Moursi and Sandra Kassenaar. Carry on your shoulder the street chairs of Cairo! Choose your design among the options below and enter the code of your choice next to your shipping address at checkout!
Estimated Shipping
July 2015
11 claimed

Signed Book

$40 USD
+ 3 Posters + Wallpaper + Thank you. A unique opportunity to get a signed copy of Sidewalk Salon: 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo.
Estimated Shipping
July 2015
66 claimed

Signed Book + Set of Postcards

$100 USD
+ 3 Posters + Wallpaper + Thank you. In addition to our Signed Book, you will get a Set of 10 postcards, each with a striking and funky image of a street chair from Cairo.
Estimated Shipping
July 2015
2 claimed

Signed Book Combo

$125 USD
Includes: Signed Book + Set of 10 postcards + 1 Tote Bag + 3 Posters + Wallpaper + Thank you! Choose one Tote Bag design among the options below and enter the code of your choice next to your shipping address at checkout!
Estimated Shipping
July 2015
2 claimed

Signed Book + Artist Print

$150 USD
+ Signed Book + Tote Bag + 3 Posters + Wallpaper + Thank you. Get 1 Signed original digital print (A4 SIZE 8x10 inches) of one of five street chair of Cairo photo by Manar Moursi and David Puig with a signed copy of our book. Choose your print among the options below and enter the code of your choice next to your shipping address at checkout! Each photo will be printed in an edition of 10.
Estimated Shipping
July 2015
3 out of 50 of claimed

Ingo Giezendanner Rizo Print

$175 USD
+ Singed Book + 3 Posters + Wallpaper + Thank you. Swiss artist Ingo Giezendanner has prepared 5 original A4 size prints (editions of 3) especially for our campaign , each with a different drawing of street chairs made during trips in Egypt. Each print will be signed by Ingo.
Estimated Shipping
July 2015
1 out of 15 of claimed

Sherifa Hamed Photo

$200 USD
+ Signed Book + Tote Bag + 3 Posters + Wallpaper + Thank you. Get 1 original signed limited edition digital print of one of the 7 photos of Sherifa Hamed available for our campaign.
Estimated Shipping
July 2015
0 out of 58 of claimed

3 Cairo Chairs Polaroid

$250 USD
+ Signed Book + 3 Posters + Wallpaper + Thank you. In addition to our Signed Book, you will receive three original Polaroid images of Street Chairs of Cairo, taken especially for you by Manar Moursi and David Puig in different neighborhoods of Cairo.
Estimated Shipping
July 2015
0 out of 50 of claimed

Artwork by Hany Rashed

$400 USD
+ Signed Book + 3 Posters + Wallpaper + Thank you Renowned Egyptian artist Hany Rashed captures like no one else the popular culture and the life of the streets of Cairo. In his latest collection of art works, Toys (2014), Rashed was inspired by characters and scenes from the city. Take advantage of this incredible occasion to get an original piece from the Toys series. Choose your artwork option from the pictures below and enter the code of your choice next to your shipping address at checkout!
3 out of 7 of claimed

1 Original Polaroid from Book

$1,000 USD
+ Signed Book + 3 Posters + Wallpaper + Thank you. An unbelievable opportunity to acquire a Signed Copy of our Book with an original Polaroid image (Fuji Instax Wide) of a Street Chair of Cairo included in the Book.
Estimated Shipping
July 2015
0 out of 5 of claimed

Customized HanyRashed ChairToy

$3,000 USD
+ Signed book + 3 Posters + Wallpaper + Thank you. Hany Rashed will create three exclusive art pieces using the technique developed in his series Toys (2014). Those three special pieces will be inspired by images of Street chairs of Cairo included in our book. Don’t wait, since this is a very limited special edition!
Estimated Shipping
July 2015
0 out of 3 of claimed
Tags for this project

You may also be interested in

Up Caret