The World’s Public Spaces
A Cultural Placemaking Mosaic is a global storytelling and participatory art project that explores the relationships people have with public spaces across cultures and communities.
Through surveys, workshops, conversations, and illustration, participants share stories about parks, plazas, streets, waterfronts, gardens, and other public places that hold personal meaning. These stories are then transformed into a collective visual mosaic that highlights themes of belonging, identity, memory, culture, and connection.
The project brings together voices from around the world to document how public spaces shape our lives and communities. By combining placemaking, community engagement, storytelling, and art, the mosaic creates a platform for cross-cultural learning and dialogue while celebrating the universal importance of public space.
Curated by Lili Razi, the project continues to grow through collaborations with artists, community members, and placemaking practitioners worldwide.
Art That Speaks to You
Global public spaces in raree show
Global public spaces in raree show
Shahre Farang (The Raree Show Box)
Shahre Farang literally “City of Wonders” was a 19th-century portable storytelling device introduced to Iran during the Qajar era. Adapted from European peep show boxes, it invited viewers to look through tiny lenses and glimpse faraway cities, battles, and dreams while the showman’s rhythmic voice called, “Come and see—from Paris to Moscow!”
Beyond entertainment, Shahre Farang symbolized curiosity and imagination. the urge to see the world through new frames. Today it inspires artists as a poetic metaphor for storytelling, perspective, and wonder.