High Noon: Asmara, Eritrea: A Window to Encounters with Modernism

Gavriil Kyriakakis, urban designer, introduces the city of Asmara, capital of Eritrea, with slides focusing on the city’s architecture and built environment. He discusses his many years of urban planning work in Asmara, as well as a researcher, author, and editor.

Gavriil Kyriakakis (Gabriel Tzeggai) is an urban designer and graduate of the Istituto Vittorio Bottego of Asmara, Eritrea, and the Graduate School of the Built Environment of the University of New South Wales, Australia. Kyriakakis/Tzeggai is an avid researcher and advocate of inter-disciplinary dialogue among urban designers, planners, and architects. He is a contributor to many publications on Asmara, its architecture, and the history of its urban development. Among his publications are “I Campi Cintati” / “Cordoned Cities,” Memoria Necessaria: Guida critica a dodici luoghi della Roma coloniale, ed. C. Borelli. Foligno: Via Industriae Publishing; “La valorizzazione del patrimonio architettonico di Asmara nelle attività del Cultural Assets Rehabilitation Project (CARP),” Asmara: architettura e pianificazione urbana nei fondi dell’IsIAO, ed. G. Barrera, A. Triulzi, G. Tzeggai. Roma: Istituto italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente; and “Urbanization in Eritrea,” Encyclopaedia Aethiopica Vol 4, Hamburg: Universitat Hamburg. As Director of the Planning Division of the Dept of Urban Development in Eritrea (1991 to 2004) and Coordinator of the Cultural Assets Rehabilitation Project (2004-2007), he was a contributor to the English language publication Asmara: Africa’s Secret Modernist City, ed. E. Denison, Guang Yu Ren, N. Gebremedhin. London & NY: Merrel.

High Noon offers free cultural and artistic programming, during your lunch hour! The High Noon series features St. Louis talents from across the arts, cultural, and educational spectrum. Spend a lunch hour enjoying presentations and performances in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere – take a break, and feel free to bring your lunch! High Noons in the Listening Room at High Low (3301 Washington Avenue) take place every Thursday from 12 to 1pm.