Meriem Chabani. Communion It is embarrassing to believe. It is terrifying to care. What happens when we dare anyway?
Sidara Auditorium (W41- 1216), Cambridge, MA
Bio Algerian born, Paris based Meriem Chabani is the founder and Principal of NEW SOUTH, an award-winning architecture, urban planning and anthropology practice that puts the margin at the center. Her work on civic spaces, memory and belonging includes includes the Taungdwingyi cultural center in Myanmar, the Globe Aroma refugee art center in Brussels, and the upcoming Mosque Zero in Paris. She is currently a finalist for the National Slavery Museum in Amsterdam. As an educator, Chabani has taught and lectured extensively. She has notably served as Aga Khan Design Critic in Architecture at Harvard GSD (USA), and currently teaches at Ecole Paris Malaquais (FR). Her work has regularly been distinguished and showcased at a number of international architecture Biennials, including Venice, Istanbul, Oslo and Lagos. In 2020 Chabani won the Europe 40 under 40 award from The European Centre for Architecture and The Chicago Athenaeum. In 2023, she is one of the emerging women architects for AMC. In 2025, Le Monde names her one of the leading voices in culture in France. Abstract Sacred practices are often confined to religion, yet they can also be read as technologies of togetherness, ways…