Video recording of a lecture given by Hisham Munir on October 5, 2015 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as part of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture's Fall 2015 lecture series.
Abstract:
Throughout history Architecture and Politics have been intertwined. Leaders and Governments of all kinds want to make a mark and leave legacies for the next generations. Architecture is one of the perfect mediums for these expressions. The outcome can be brilliant or can be disastrous.
Iraq’s turbulent recent past over the last 50 years provided a colorful theater rich with dichotomy where these dynamics played out to extremes. In this lecture Mr. Hisham Munir, the pioneer of modern architecture in Iraq, will take us through a brief history of how some these dynamics played out during his illustrious career 1957 – 1994.