NABIL AL-KINANI
URBANIST & BUILT ENVIRONMENT PROFESSIONAL

TALKS, WORKSHOPS, WRITINGS & LECTURES

LAYERS: MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE // OPEN CITY CURATORS PROGRAMME X OPEN HOUSE FESTIVAL // SEP 2024
An event at the Royal Institute of British Architects, focussing on unpeeling and revealing invisible layers at the RIBA and the architecture industry as a whole. Consisted of a panel discussion alongside guests; Arinjoy Sen and Mohammed Khizr.

PLACEMAKING FOR THE FUTURE // SOMERS TOWN PEOPLE’S MUSEUM // SEP 2024

In celebration of 100 years of social housing in Somers Town, we hosted an event exploring the community's potential to advocate for the area's estates to be designated under a conservation area policy. This designation aims to protect the neighbourhood from future gentrification. The event saw active participation from many members of the Somers Town community, who engaged in thoughtful discussions on the topic.
BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION SYMPOSIUM 2024 // LONDON SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE X BRITISH COUNCIL // SEP 2024
Marking the centenary of the opening of the British Empire Exhibition (BEE) at Wembley - The London School of Architecture, with the support of the British Council, convened a conference on 12 – 13 September 2024, with the foremost thinkers, practitioners, archivists, curators, designers, artists, and other communities of interest around the BEE to understand the breadth of work that has already been done, and what still needs to be further explored in understanding the legacies of the exhibition. We presented the work of “Naming Pains” alongside representatives from the V&A, Bristol Archives,  and multiple academic institutes.

URBAN PAMPHLETEER #11: MULTI-STORIES // UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON URBAN LABORATORY // JUL 2024
Contributions were made for the Urban Pamphleteer #11: Multi-stories: Estate Interventions in London and Paris. This 11th issue documents and explores experimental interventions in the way the everyday life of multi-storey social housing in London and Paris is represented and understood. Interspersing contributions from Paris and London, the issue foregrounds approaches that develop intersections across visual, ethnographic and historical methods. Forged across personal, institutional and academic contexts, stories and experiences, the pamphleteer’s contributions seek to intervene in direct and specific ways with the marginalisation of these important locations for everyday urban life. Edited by Martine Drozdz, Andrew Harris and Nathaniel Télémaque. Designed by Guglielmo Rossi. More information here: https://urbanpamphleteer.org/

JAR-GONE CONVERSATIONS: BREAKING DOWN INDUSTRY JARGON // ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION YOUNG TRUSTEES X LONDON FESTIVAL OF ARCHITECTURE // JUN 2024
An interactive panel discussion on the impact of architectural industry jargon on community, language and place, with a focus on ‘regeneration’ - alongside  Sophie de Sousa (The Glass-House Community Led Design), Nana Biamah-Ofosu (YAA Projects), and Jamila Saha.

HOME PLANET: HOW CAN WE INNOVATE TO ADDRESS HOUSING INJUSTICE? // FOOTWORK X LONDON FESTIVAL OF ARCHITECTURE // JUN 2024
A discussion exploring sustainable funding models, enhancing social and digital connectivity, overcoming NIMBYism, and the impact of capitalism on wealth distribution - alongside Andrew Bailie (Roost), Claude Hendrickson MBE (Community Led Homes), Charmaine McNally (Self-builder), and Alexia Murphy (Depaul UK)- as part of the London Festival of Architecture, and held in collaboration with ArchitectsAware! and Crisis Venture Studios. (https://youtu.be/vcxfQsdnGvU?si=ez4cqlaMZdHGDVBV)

RECONNECTIONS WITH LAND // SHARED GROUND X LONDON FESTIVAL OF ARCHITECTURE // JUN 2024
A discussion that looked at interconnected relationships of land with identity, ecosystems and systems of ownership on the journey towards understanding the impact of places and spaces on lives, alongside Dr. Anna Pagani (UCL), and Bushra Mohamed (MSOMA Architects).

ARTIST ARCHIVE TALK: WHERE HAVE ALL THESE PEOPLE GONE? // SIOBHAN DAVIES STUDIO // MAY 2024
A conversation with Shannelle ‘Tali’ Fergus, exploring the Privatise the Mandem’s call for ‘Collective Enfranchisement’ and its meeting places within artistic practice and everyday life. Reflecting on Tali’s recent move out of London, the pair will also discuss the challenges of relocating; the impact on self-perception and identity and what it is like to be received. (https://www.siobhandavies.com/saffron-reflection-where/ and https://www.siobhandavies.com/yasmine-reflection-where/)

BRUM ZINE FEST // CIVIC SQUARE // APR 2024
In conversation with Akil Scafe-Smith (RESOLVE), Amahra Spence (MAIA), André Anderson (Freedom & Balance), Anu Henriques (Skin Deep), and Farzana Khan (Healing Justice Ldn) about how grassroots DIY work has led to broader revolutionary shifts, representative of how critical countercultures are for societal transformation.

HOUSING: CAN ARTISTS OFFER A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE? // EAST STREET ARTS // APR 2024
A panel discussion with Alanna Reid, Eva Sajovic, and Daniel Sean Kely, focusing on setting up collectively owned spaces, artist-led houses and documenting change in cities.

ECOLOGICAL HEALTH IN NEIGHBOURHOODS // CIVIC SQUARE X CENTRIC LABS // MAR 2024
A guest mentor for the Ecological Health in Neighbourhoods Learning Journey - a cohort of 32 peers who we have been working with alongside Centric Lab since July 2024 to broaden and deepen collective knowledge in the field of ecological health justice, with the broader aim that this leads to movement building and enacting change.

PUBLIC POWERS: HOOD FUTURES SOUNDBATH // FREE FORM WORLD X UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON // MAR 2024
Contributing to a series of ‘Sonic Sculptures’ using dialogue and a highly produced listening environment to plant seeds of inspiration for reflection and debate, as part of Nate Agbetu and Chetna Sharma’s Public Powers installation .

SOUNDING THE CLIMATE // CENTRAL SAINT MARTIN M.ARCH ARCHITECTURE PROGRAMME // FEB 2024
A panel discussion and sound exploration relating to themes of climate justice, ecologies, identity, globalisation, (non-)traditional practise, and more.

SACRED MONEY // BBC AUDIO LAB // FEB 2024
A conversation with Taqwa Sadiq on ‘Privatise the Mandem’ as a response to gentrification, communities, and the need for more agency to deal with socio-economic problems on their own terms. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0hbvcl2)

REHEARSING FREEDOMS: COLLECTIVE LIFE // HEALING JUSTICE LDN // OCT 2023
A conversation with Dhelia Snoussi, Amahra Spence and chaired by Farzana Khan exploring the ways that we collectivise neighbourhood life. The conversation delved into the intersections of community organising, public policy and legal interventions, as part of building practical and collective ownership models. (https://www.youtube.com/live/ARTkJnvbTAg?si=JhQwiVEimWrEkTg0)

MATERIAL ARCHIVE: MUM. EDIT. MORE. // THE CAPSULE X SIOBHAN DAVIES STUDIO // OCT 2023
A panel discussion held at the exhibition launch for Shannelle ‘Tali’ Fergus’ “Dancing to Gentrified Brixton” - a highly personal and poignant audio-visual journey exploring the beauty of the human voice, pondering the effects of gentrification and reflecting on the nature of change. (https://youtu.be/GPreH-_m0iM?si=foaMog06NVvuwX9g)

DECOLONISING WEMBLEY KEYNOTE ADDRESS // OPEN CITY X OPEN HOUSE FESTIVAL // SEP 2023
A keynote address relating to the ‘Decolonising Wembley’ campaign aimed at challenging the celebration of British imperialism and the legacy of the 1924 British Empire Exhibition.

NAMING THE LONDON OVERGROUND LINES // GREATER LONDON AUTHORITY X TRANSPORT FOR LONDON // AUG 2023
A workshop hosted by Transport for London and the Mayor’s office to name individual lines on the London Overground to reflect London’s diversity within the public realm. This programme was in conjunction with the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm. This will make the network easier to navigate and ensure the Capital’s transport system reflects its rich and diverse history. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68296483)

THE FUTURE OF PARTICIPATION // GREATER LONDON AUTHORITY // JUL 2023
A panel conversation alongside Joon-Lynn Goh and Mama D Ujuaje, with the Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice, and the Leader of Camden Council and Chair of London Councils on how approaches to engagement and participation can become the cornerstone of effective policy making for London. 

LEVANT BOOK-CAFE ORAL HISTORY // MUSEUM OF LONDON // JUN 2023
As part of a wider initiative at the Museum of London documenting communities, businesses and cultures around food and drink in the city, in order to keep a record and to ensure future generations will be able to learn about the capital today - we conducted, recorded, and transcribed, an interview in Arabic with owners of the Levant Book-Cafe in Park Royal, London. (https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/syrian-booza-in-london-a-damascene-ice-cream-made-with-soul/)

EXPLORING HOOD FUTURISM // MAIA GROUP // MAY 2023
As part of MAIA’s Radical Imagination Lab: Space in the Black Imagination, we hosted an exploratory workshop on ‘Privatise the Mandem; Exploring Hood Futurism’. We looked at themes such as our relationship to land, preserving the Ends, collective ownership and how we get ourselves and our descendants free. (https://youtu.be/tFSarF4-LK4?si=b26k9qTfqIo37bVt)

PRIVATISE THE MANDEM READING GROUP // THE MOSAIC ROOMS // JAN 2023
A reading group and discussion around Privatise the Mandem (2020), a proposal to resist gentrification. Arguing the necessity of collective ownership of the ends; social housing estates as well as details the consequences of delivering on the vision. 

WE ARE HERE // LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL X SOUND ADVICE // SEP 2022
‘We Are Here’ was an event organised by Sound Advice for the London Design Festival, taking over the Rio Cinema during London Design Festival 2022 to celebrate migrant voices in the urban and cultural realm.

"THE G WORD" DEVELOPMENT FOR WHO?! // THE ADVOCACY ACADEMY // AUG 2022
An Open House event for South London residents, community groups, and institutions to come together and meet, talk, and organise around the topic of gentrification.

REGENERATIVE NEIGHBOURHOODS FESTIVAL // CIVIC SQUARE // JUL 2022
A panel discussion with Craig Pinkney and Sham Murad exploring some of the themes of “Privatise The Mandem” and how they resonate with their own work in and around Birmingham.

LANGUAGE BARRIERS // NEW ARCHITECTURE WRITERS // JUL 2022
A live colloquium hosted at the Zaha Hadid Foundation. The theme of the colloquium aims to explore the ideological and material factors shaping architectural discourse: the way we discuss buildings, the tools we use to do so, and the conditions under which such writing is produced. 

FROM MIDDLE SOUTH EAST TO NORTH WEST REPORT // MUSEUM OF LONDON // JUN 2022
The ‘From Middle South East to North West’ project forms part the London Eats programme, aimed at mapping Syrian refugee families’ travels and movements through the city in search of ingredients from ‘home’. The mapping exercise documented their travels through the collection of ephemera, photography, oral histories and illustrations. The collection was accompanied by an article written for the Museum during Ramadan 2023.(https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/ramadan-in-london-in-search-of-ingredients-from-home/)

DOUGHNUT ECONOMICS STUDIO DAY // CIVIC SQUARE X PARTICIPATORY CITY FOUNDATION // JUN 2022
Doughnut Economics Peer to Peer Learning Journey Studio Day at Everyone’s Warehouse, where cohorts of people from across the UK and the globe were building their collective knowledge, confidence and ideas to take the principles for regenerative economics off the page, and turn them into transformative action in their homes, streets, and neighbourhoods.

BBC 1XTRA LIVE TALKS WITH RICHIE BRAVE // BBC RADIO 1XTRA // JUN 2022
Speech show on BBC Radio 1Xtra hosted by Richie Brave. I was invited to discuss “Privatise the Mandem” live on air, as part of the shows theme of self-reliance. The show broadcasted from 9pm to 10pm on the 5th June 2022. (//www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0017twq)

SPEAKERS CORNER @ THE BIG LUNCH // CIVIC SQUARE // JUN 2022
The Speakers Corner formed part of The Big Lunch at Civic Square in Birmingham. I was invited to discuss “Privatise the Mandem”, specifically covering how we can think, dream and strategise collectively for positive change.

BUILDING ECOLOGIES, NOT HEIRARCHIES // MAIA GROUP // JUN 2022
A conversation with three practitioners who build radical new infrastructures which tend to their communities - Jack Ky Tan, Joon-Lynn Goh, and Amhara Spence. The talk explored possible ways of organising, mobilising and reimagining decentralised structures. 

THE EFFECTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON WORKING CLASS LONDONERS // MUSEUM OF LONDON X KING’S COLLEGE LONDON // NOV 2021
King’s College London and the Museum of London were undertaking a research project to better understand how working class Londoners have experienced the Covid-19 pandemic period. The project seeked to hear about their experiences around the themes of work, learning and connections with friends and family. Subsequently, the Museum published a report named: ‘Museums, Class and the Pandemic’, in December 2022 .

RACE & SPACE: SPECULATIVE FUTURES // EYESORE X AFTERPARTI X UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON // NOV 2021
Forming part of UCL’s curriculum Zewolde et al. (2020), ‘Race’ and Space: What is ‘race’ doing in a nice field like the built environment? London: The Bartlett, UCL Faculty of the Built Environment. The future generates the possibility of different spatial trajectories, this workshop explored Afro-futurism, cyberpunk, post-colonial urban futures and decolonial theory. We asked workshop attendees to make video and sound recordings sent back from the future which described the ways things had become or could become. It focused on the changed that they would like to see, highlighting the importance of utopian thinking in creating change and in reimagining our daily spaces, which we become so used to.

MIGRANT EXPERIENCES OF FOOD & DRINK IN LDN // MUSEUM OF LONDON DOCKLANDS // JUL 2021
Consultation and facilitation of workshops in Arabic that explore the theme of food and drink in London with a cohort of migrant families from Lewisham and Greenwich. Forming part of the Museum of London: Curating London programme. 

MULTISTORY* LECTURE SERIES: FUTURE // CANTERBURY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE // NOV 2019
MULTISTORY* is a student and alumni led guest lecture programme series at Canterbury School of Architecture, University for the Creative Arts, seeking to invite architects, designers, writers, curators, photographers and artists to speak about their work. The Freedom & Balance art college was invited to provide a lecture on story-telling and how it shapes our inner city spaces through design and culture. 

TO RULE & WRITE // #MERKY BOOKS POP-UP // NOV 2019 
Stormzy’s Penguin Random House imprint #Merky Books had teamed up with Beats by Dre to open the #Merky Books pop-up shop at the new Beats Residency space in Shoreditch, London. The Freedom & Balance art college was invited to talk about the Authors of the Estate project. (https://www.thebookseller.com/news/merky-books-opens-pop-shop-1109436)

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 ABOUTBy day, Nabil Al-Kinani is a built-environment professional with a keen interest in urbanism, placemaking, sustainable development and place vision. By night, he is a writer and cultural producer that uses creative practice to deliver works that draw focus on the relationship between spaces and stories. Other strands of his work includes the exploration of spatial politics, identity, culture and migration.