They rule the streets of Cairo, silently witnessing Egyptian daily life at every corner. That’s why the social-artistic study The Koshk Project was born: to map Egypt’s kiosks using crowdsourcing to identify Egyptians’ favorite ones. “They are hasty, messy and unplanned, like microcosms that perfectly reflect the Middle East’s most populous city ”, says Egyptian-English artist Jasmine Soliman.
Kiosks’ stories are frequently tales of struggle and lasting dreams : they were once given to ex-convicts, single mothers and people in need as an means to make a living. “I find them fascinating because they are one of the few things that cross all social boundaries and bind all classes; everybody needs a kiosk!” Jasmine adds. She walks Cairo’s streets, meticulously gathering details of individual Koshks , interviewing sellers and taking pictures for her database.
“But a key element of the project is user-generated content , which means the public can share their own stories .” The project currently runs through Facebook and Twitter , but the mapping website will be launched soon. Multiple users will be able to tag each kiosk on an interactive map , add photos and share what makes it special, together building its story.
