Nicosia–Famagusta–Varosha–Paphos, 5–15 April 2025

The title “No Man’s Land” is a reference to Cal Flyn’s chapter of the same name in Islands of Abandonment. It describes the spatial border conditions and the people living at, with, and around them in the divided country and island of Cyprus.

The border in Cyprus is an omnipresent theme, as British military areas are also enclosed by fences that establish a territorial division between British and Cypriot territory—distinct from the border separating Cyprus and the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. We will experience the border of the European Union on an island located just 240 km from Beirut, near the politically volatile region of the Middle East.

In this second part of our border-focused exploration, we will collaborate with Cypriot architecture students from the University of Nicosia to develop spatial intervention ideas for the border that runs through the city of Nicosia. We will also explore abandoned sites in the Turkish-controlled area and visit time-encapsulated cities such as Famagusta and Varosha.

Additionally, we will travel across the island, examining ancient and contemporary architecture and meeting with architects between Nicosia and Paphos.