Events
News from the studio
THURSDAY 29 JANUARY AT 18:30
MIGRANT TALES
DUNA GHALI
Meet Duna Ghali and hear her story via an interview conducted by literary critic and writer Amina A. Khalil.
Talk and interview will be in Arabic.
Duna Ghali is a Danish-Iraqi novelist, poet and translator born in Basra, Iraq. She graduated from the University of Basra, College of Agriculture in 1987 and has lived in Denmark since 1992.
Duna Ghali has published several novels, collections of poetry and prose in Arabic, most notably the novels The Further Point (2000), When the Scent Awakens (2006) and Orbits of Loneliness (2014). Her most recent works in Arabic are Never Tell Stories on Wednesdays (2016), a collection of prose, the novel His Safe Haven (2017), the novel South (2024), and a short stories collection Restitching the Butterfly (2025).
Furthermore, Duna Ghali has published a novel and two collections of poetry in Danish, as well as a bilingual (Danish-Arabic) collection of prose.
Duna Ghali has translated many Danish works into Arabic, including Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytales, the distinguished experimental poet Inger Christensen and the novel Havoc, Tom Kristensen’s major modernist work. Her latest translation is When Death Takes Something from You Give It Back: Carl’s Book, a moving memoir by Naja Marie Aidt on the loss of her twenty-five-year-old son.
TUESDAY 20 JANUARY AT 18:30
THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN DAVIDSEN
Join us for an exciting presentation of the adventures of Captain Davidsen.
In 1911, the Danish Officer and theologist Magnus Julius Henry Davidsen carried out a largely overlooked ethnographic expedition to Upper Egypt. Supported by the Carlsberg Foundation, he lived among the fellahin in a village near Qift and produced extensive visual and textual records of rural life. Long eclipsed by better-known contemporaries, Davidsen’s work has only recently re-emerged in the archives of the National Museum of Denmark. This presentation reconsiders his fieldwork, its scholarly milieu, and its significance as a rare pre–First World War documentation of the Egyptian countryside.
Presented by
HANS CHRISTIAN KORSHOLM NIELSEN
He holds a PhD in Anthropology from Aarhus University, based on extensive fieldwork in Upper Egypt on local politics and customary law, and has also conducted field research in Yemen on the traditional market of the old city of Sana’a. He has held teaching and research positions at Aarhus University and the University of Copenhagen, with research affiliations to the American University in Cairo and the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. He has served as Director of the Danish Institute in Damascus (2007–2010) and the Danish Egyptian Dialogue Institute (DEDI) (2015–2019), and has published on Middle Eastern cities, customary law, and legal anthropology.
SATURDAY 17 JANUARY AT 18:30
CLOTH AND CULTURE
Unravelling textile finds from Deir el-Medina by Chiara Spinazzi-Lucchesi and
WONDERFUL WRAPPINGS
Dressing Animals For Eternity by Matilde Borla
Deir el-Medina, the New Kingdom village of the royal tomb workmen, offers an exceptional context for the study of ancient Egyptian textiles. A small group of well-dated mummies from the Eastern Cemetery (c. 1550–1300 BCE), preserved with their original wrappings in tomb TT217M, provides a rare opportunity to examine textile use within a secure funerary context. These materials illuminate patterns of textile consumption, mummification practices, and variations in body treatment related to age and gender, as well as the range of textiles available during the early phases of the village’s occupation.
This evidence is complemented by textile tools recovered from both the village and its trash pits, indicating local textile production. Approximately one thousand tools—primarily spinning implements—identified during the 2024 mission point to an intensity of activity that invites discussion of production organisation and the social and economic role of textiles at Deir el-Medina.
BIOS
Chiara Spinazzi-Lucchesi is a specialist in ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern textile production and the author of Threads of Contact (Oxbow Books), a study of textile tools in Egypt and the southern Levant. She has worked on textile production at Deir el-Medina since 2014 and, since 2022, as part of the Deir el-Medina mission. This evening, she will present selected textiles and discuss their interpretation in relation to production organisation.
Matilde Borla holds a PhD in Egyptology from the École Pratique des Hautes Études (Paris) and is an Egyptology officer at the Soprintendenza in Turin. Her research focuses on New Kingdom textiles, including mummy wrappings, pleated garments, and dyes. Since January 2024, she has been part of the Textile Team working on the mummies from Tomb 217 at Deir el-Medina.
SUNDAY 14 DECEMBER AT 18:30
REINTERPRETING THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
“RECITATION FOR GOING OUT IN PROCESSION BY DAY”
PhD Fellow Chris Madsen Stie will present his current study Reinterpreting the Ancient Egyptian “Recitation for going out in procession by day”.
Amid growing dissatisfaction with the traditional “afterlife hypothesis” that has shaped Egyptology since the early nineteenth century, his PhD project offers a new interpretation of ancient Egypt’s most renowned corpus of funerary spells—the so-called Book of the Dead. By moving beyond two centuries of translational convention and applying an interpretive principle that reads tomb-related ritual spells in continuity with their non-funerary counterparts, this study reveals that the titles and postscripts outline a broader ritual framework centred on the performance of processional rites. This perspective not only challenges core assumptions underpinning the prevailing afterlife hypothesis, but also provides fresh insight into how and why the sequence of spells became standardised in first-millennium manuscripts.
BILINGUAL 7.0 – FURNITURE EXHIBITION ON SUNDAY 5 DECEMBER AT 18:30
The Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen, the Danish Embassy in Cairo, and Designdustry in collaboration with the Denmark Studio for Research and Culture and the Danish Arts Council are pleased to extend an invitation to Bilingual 7.0: The Danish–Egyptian One-Day Furniture Exhibition, to be held at Bayt Yakan.
We are also proud to acknowledge Pinocchio Furniture as our industry partner.
Bilingual exhibition is jointly organized by the Royal Danish Academy and Designdustry, with the esteemed support of the Danish Embassy in Cairo. We are also proud to acknowledge Pinocchio Furniture as our industry partner.
28 NOVEMBER 2025 at 13:00-18:00
CRAFT AND DESIGN WORKSHOP
The workshop is part of the BILINGUAL 7.0 project which is a collaboration between the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen, the Danish Embassy in Cairo, Designdustry and The Denmark Studio for Research and Culture and the Pinocchio Furniture as the industry partner.
The craft workshop will provide several topics and possibilities.
WOODWORKING STATION: Demonstration of ancient Egyptian wooden connections and woodworking tools.
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CHAIR STATION: Demonstration of ancient Egyptian furniture items.
STOOL ASSEMBLY STATION: Demonstrating the process of stool assembly and demonstrating the weaving techniques in Ancient Egypt and how this was developed later in Denmark to the famous Danish weaving.
The workshop is open for all including the carpenters and other interested members of the local community of Darb al-Ahmar.
20 NOVEMBER 2025 at 15:00-18:00
CULTURES IN COLLABORATION
- How can student-led projects translate into actionable pathways for societal value creation?
- What mechanisms can connect academic work with public institutions, businesses, and communities?
- How can interdisciplinary collaboration become a driver for sustainable urban transformation?
- Exhibition of student research and proposals for Al-Yansiya and Al-Yakaniya neighborhoods
- Dialogue with academics, professionals, and community representatives
- Co-creation session to identify next steps for research and implementation.
24 OCTOBER 2025
In October 2025, The Denmark Studio in Egypt hosted the Danish children’s culture mediator Ditte Marie Størner. During her stay, she connected with a wide range of cultural institutions working with art and children. Mrs Størner also carried out a photo project with the young residents of Cairo’s Darb al-Ahmar neighborhood.
Anchored in the Danish tradition of creating space for children’s free expression, she invited the kids to portray moments from their everyday lives. With Polaroid cameras in hand — and immense excitement — the participants created a poetic visual portrait of what childhood looks like in Souk al-Silah.
16 OCTOBER 2025 at 20:00
BILAL IRSHED AT BAYT YAKAN
We are delighted to host Bilal Itshed and his trio for a concert on Thursday 16 October at 20:00 hours.
Come and experience an evening of captivating music with Bilal Irshed, Danish-Palestinian composer and oud virtuoso, as he explores the expressive range and rich textures of the oud. This performance blends Bilal’s original compositions with pieces inspired by the depth and vibrancy of the Egyptian musical tradition, offering a journey through both contemporary and classical musical landscapes.
The concert brings together masterful improvisation, intricate rhythms, and evocative melodies, creating an immersive musical dialogue that resonates across cultures.
Bilal will be joined by Rasmus Moldrup on bass (DK) and Amir Ezzat on percussion (EG), completing an ensemble dedicated to bringing this unique repertoire to life.
Do not miss out on this opportunity for an entertaining evening in historic Cairo 🪕🪇🎼
Free entrance 🙏🏼
24 SEPTEMBER
VISIT BY THE CULTURAL COMMITTEE OF THE DANISH PARLIAMENT
It was a great pleasure to receive the Cultural Committe of the Danish Parliament at The Denmark Studio during their recent visit to Egypt. Following a walking tour of Darb al-Ahmar in the company of Dr Alaa al-Habashi, they visited the Denmark Studio located at Bayt Yakan. The evening ended with a delightful dinner in the court-yard in their honour, hosted by His Excellency the Ambassador of Denmark to Egypt Mr Lars Bo Moeller. A very enjoyable evening with great networking and a grand finale with a Tok Tok ride.
16 SEPTEMBER
RYSENSTEEN
On 16 September we welcomed 30 students and their teachers from Rysensteen Highschool in Copenhagen to The Denmark Studio. Following a tour of Bayt Yakan and a visit to the studio we enjoyed a light lunch in the courtyard.
15 APRIL 2025 at 19:00
A YEAR IN CAIRO
Join us for this interesting talk by Sawsan Kardosh-Kassis on the journey of the Danish scientific expedition to al Arabia al Saïda, and their year long stay in Egypt. The talk is based on the book by the same name by Torkild Hansen and translated by Sawsan from Danish to Arabic.
9 APRIL 2025
LIGHT UPON LIGHT
78 min, Egypt, Denmark
Christian Suhr (DK) and Hala Lotfy (EG)
Hassala Films, 2022
Join us for the screning of Light Upon Light on Wednesday 9 April at 18:30 at Bayt Yakan.
A fieldtrip into the mystical traditions of Islam exploring people’s search for light at a time of darkness and political tension in post revolutionary Egypt.
13 MARCH 2025
THE HUMAN HABITAT
How architecture prevents stress, loneliness and exlusion and strengthens security, connection and health.
A talk by Niels Bjørn.
21 FEBRUARY 2025
CARL
Friday 21 February we are fully booked at Bayt Yakan for an event for the children of the neighbourhood. We will be reading to them the newly translated children’s book about the famous Danish composer Carl Nielsen who loved to play music as a child, in particular the violin. Amr Rifki will be reading the book for the children and will be accompanied by Mark Osama on violin. As a special treat there will be burgers, fries and ice-cream by The Cookery Company. A day to remember 🙏🏼
26 JANUARY 2025
MANIFESTATION OF THE MAMLUKS – ARCHITECTURE IN CAIRO
BY DR ANDERS HASTRUP, INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER AND FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE DANISH INSTITUTE IN DAMASCUS
A talk by Dr Anders Hastrup shedding light on how the imperial vision of the Mamluks can be seen in the Mameluk architecture of Cairo and explains how the city worked and was experienced by both sultans and subjects.
19 JANUARY 2025
CLOTH AND CULTURE – UNRAVELLING TEXTILE FINDS FROM DEIR EL-MEDINA
BY DR CHIARA SPINAZZI-LUCCHESI, Postdoc, University of Copenhagen
A talk by Dr Chiara on the exciting and rare textile finds on the West Bank of Luxor in Deir el-Medina.
FRAGILE BEAUTY – A GLIMPSE INTO SOME OF THE TEXTILE TREASURES FROM THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM IN TURIN
BY DR MATILDE BORLA, Archaeology Officer, Egyptian Museum in Torino
A talk by Dr Matilde explaining the complex system of the weaving and production of textile in Ancient Egypt.
11 DECEMBER 2024
THE MARVELS OF THE HEART
BY DR CLARA MARIE WESTERGAARD
A talk by Dr Clara Westergaard on al-Ghazali’s Aja’ib al-Qalb the Marvels of the Heart. The recitation from the book by Amr Rifki in Arabic and Sarah Abdin in English. Accompanied by Marwan Khater on oud.
6 NOVEMBER 2024
DANES IN CAIRO DURING THE 18TH CENTURY
BY DR JAKOB SKOVGAARD-PETERSEN
A talk by Prof. Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen, Copenhagen University on the Danish Expedition led by Carsten Niebuhr in 1761.
Focus on the mapping of Egypt and the discoveries.
