The very complex conflict in Syria has left little room for imagining a better future for Aleppo and many other Syrian cities and towns. The projec tryies to reflect on Aleppo’s rich history to imagine a hopeful and joyful recovery of the city, and to challenge the assumption that it will never rise again. Against Gravity is a reminder that great cities have re-emerged throughout history, and that hope always finds its away around scars. Between the years 2012 and 2015, photographer Hosam Katan documented the complex and poorly understood war in his home city of Aleppo in Northern Syria. At the four locations of the photographs, architectural nodes are introduced, inviting more people to inhabit the streets, playing a role in the very slow recovery of the veins and the arteries of Aleppo.

The project was developed within the context of Carleton University.