NAM

However, its real legacy in history is held in centuries of developing as a center for cultural exchange. Cyprus produced its own distinct social ecologies that manifested contextually rather than as a vessel for the remnants left behind during colonization or extraction of resources.

The program of the New Cyprus Museum, with a focus on how an archaeological record can invoke a cultural identity, provides a unique opportunity to manifest this fundamental truth about Cyprus. This provides a question and strong challenge for the project as a connection to that history. How can the proposal bring to life the principle of social and cultural exchange in Nicosia and the nation’s civic, public, urban, and cultural realms? As a destination, people’s exploration of the notion of identity must be embodied in space, material and ultimately an edifice. Participation and pride in history can be embedded in the consciousness of both visitor to the gallery and recreational occupant of the site.