Green limitation/interactive installation/Styrofoam and plastic/3 m x 1.5m/2015

 If you take a walk through downtown Cairo, you will notice an expensive-looking dark green iron fence decorated with golden ornaments. First installed in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the fence was designed to restrict movement and prevent access to certain areas. Fifteen years later, its presence has evolved into a form of social restraint shaping how citizens navigate the city.

The heavy structure demarcates zones in which people are enclosed, almost like a zoo. Green Limitation involves reconstructing an exact replica of a single cell of the fence and reinstalling it in a public space, where it controls movement through and around the isolated unit. By isolating one unit from a much larger system, the work magnifies how design, ornamentation, and authority intersect, turning decorative architecture into a subtle but powerful tool of regulation. The installation invites passersby to confront the physical and psychological effects of spatial control, and to reflect on how such structures become normalized within everyday urban life.