Plain Talk
If Alexandria is known as the bride of the Mediterranean, Aswan can claim to be the bride of Upper Egypt. The moment you arrive its kind sun and gentle breeze cocoon you, as do the welcoming smiles of the people of Aswan.
I was in Aswan to see the works of sculptors from eight countries who are taking part in the ninth Aswan International Sculpture Symposium. Immediately I was struck by the highly polished technique of the local assistants. Over the years they have developed the techniques necessary to deal with the notoriously obstinate Aswan granite.
I stood at a distance watching the artists and their Egyptian assistants hewing the rocks and carrying on conversations in a language very much their own. It is amazing how the visiting artists were able to explain to their Egyptian assistants what they wanted done with the stone.
My attention was drawn to a slim figure, dressed in a red overall, sitting astride a large piece of rock, stroking the surface of the stone. Janine Kortz Waintviop, a young German living in Paris, was deciding what should be done with her piece of granite.
The Aswan Symposium has established itself as an important international event. It is attracting leading sculptors from different countries: 71 foreign and 25 Egyptian sculptors have already taken part, producing over 100 sculptures. In addition to invitees of the Cultural Development Fund, other sculptors come at their own expense.
I was happy to read an article published in the magazine Sculpture, by Jan Barlow Hudson, an American who has twice been invited to the symposium. The goal of the symposium, writes Hudson, is "to revive the art of large-scale stone sculpting in Egypt. Aswan became the chosen location since it has supplied various good granite since Pharaonic times. Farouk Hosni and Adam Henein also envisioned a contemporary sculpture park or open air museum to house stone sculptures in a public environment".
We visited the open air museum which covers 10 feddans on a hilltop overlooking Lake Nasser and Philae Temple.
"Intended as an international event the symposium brings artists to Egypt as a form of cultural exchange and infusion of ideas. Organisers hope that it will create a new generation of Egyptian sculptors and train artisans to work with the artists at the sculpture studios that are being planned for a nearby site," writes Hudson.
In fact plans are already afoot for the establishment of a sculpture park. The land has already been allotted by the governor. The town will also have a number of studios available to sculptors for a nominal sum. There will be a large workshop, with an overhead crane, compressed air and electricity, with a gallery attached.
The article describes the experience of its writer in the seventh symposium, but it also gives details of Aswan. From the site and hotel, writes Hudson "one can walk into town and explore a large and interesting souk, visit an Internet or riverside café, take a felucca or take the ferry to Elephantine Island with its ancient Pharaonic and Roman temples. The sculptors usually visit Philae, Abu Simbel, and if things work out, Luxor/ Karnak. Sculptors usually manage to plan their trips to spend at least a few days in Cairo, perhaps Alexandria and other sites. Apparently diving off Sinai is quite incredible".
Hudson ends the article thus: "The Aswan Symposium is a very professional project attended and supported by a lot of wonderful people in a truly fascinating location. Working large scale granite alongside the awesome Pharaonic projects is both educational and very inspiring."
The credit for the success of this international symposium goes to the Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni, and the symposium's commissar Adam Henein, alongside Salah Shaqueer, head of the Cultural Development Fund, and his assistants Iman Okeil, Mohamed Abdel- Dayem and others. It is a project they should be proud of.
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 13 - 19 March 2003 (Issue No. 629)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/629/cu3.htm