‘In any creative work, be it the artist or the artisan, the creatve person unites with the material they are working with, which symbolises the world outside him/herself. The worker and the artefact become one. The human being becomes one with his creation. ‘ Erich Fromm
The word Poiein in Ancient Greek (ποιεῖν) means making. It is where the word Poetry comes from. Plato had pointed at the connection between craft-making and poetry, calling us to gaze at the rich worlds of form and meaning that come to life when we take raw material from our landscape and create with it. It is possible, when we look at a handcrafted object, to appreciate the emotion and soul life that the maker had infused in it.
Sefrou is located in the heart of the middle Atlas. Traditionally, a market town located amidst fertile farming lands, it is known for its fruit orchards, cherry festival and the large Jewish community that lived there up until the last century. Sefrou is still home to a large community of local artisans, metal smiths, woodworkers, weavers and button makers. Though the community is still thriving, few are the ones of the young generation who wish to learn these skills.
Visiting local crafts people in their workshops, we will learn about their work and daily lives as a way to get a sense of the place through the people and their working spaces. An orientation of the city from the inside out hosted by Culture Vultures, will lead us into a deeper relationship with Amazigh women who spin and weave and we will participate in a hands own textile workshop.
We will be introduced to ‘The Loom in Local Rituals’ and how women used the loom as a sacred medium for protection. On Sunday we will make a day trip to a mountain market town in the Middle Atlas where the wool comes from, to meet women who practice unbroken textile traditions in the region.
Alongside these visits our work will consist of listening to the stories that emerge from our activities, as well as engage with traditional stories from around the world to bring into clearer focus the role of craft-making in the life of the Soul. On our last day we will share these stories in a storytelling evening (no previous experience necessary). Daily shamanic practices will help us access ancestral knowledge and seek healing for modern day’s rupture between skill and community, craft and Time.
Artist Residency / Nov, Dec 2024
Panorama-Art - Facinas / Tarifa, Northern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Coordinated and facilitated by Karmit EvenZur for Colectivo la Espiral ACC.
Supported by Culture Moves Europe Goethe Institute, Transculture and Pepinieres
creacion in collaboration local groups and organisations.
Participating artists: Laura Burns , Annie Graham , Fred Chemama , Diáne Zillmer,
Elizabeth Guerrero.
IV OPEN STUDIOs Tarifa/Facinas 5- 8- Dec.
GESTURING
TOWARD A
CULTURE OF
BIOREGIONS
The Strait of Gibraltar, with its natural boundaries, political frontiers, pathways, thresholds, and gateways, is the channel of water that connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, between the African and European continents. It is a vital thoroughfare for marine and bird migration, maritime trade, travel and trafficking. A symbolic gateway between two continents and two seas.
As a bioregion, the Strait of Gibraltar area encompasses not only the waterway itself but also the surrounding land areas and coastal zones of southern Spain, northern Morocco, and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. This residency will take place on the Iberian peninsula side of the Strait (a residency in south side of the Strait is planned for 2025-2026), and will seek to explore the natural history of the area; exploring its ecosystems and watersheds.
Engaging with questions about pathways and borders between nation states, we explored the issue from the perspectives of natural ecosystems.
The residency programme offered sessions guided by local ornithologists, geologists and conservationists to learn about local flora, fauna, migration movements of birds, marine species, tectonic plates and the cultural history of the area to inspire the artists to fabricate/ideate/curate artistic projects that fostered collaborations according to regional biogeographical patterns. Read more about their projects here.
EXPLORING
BIOREGIONAL
ECOLOGICAL
IDENTITY
Curated and facilitated by Karmit Even Zur in collaboration with Colectivo La Espiral Arte y Cultura Contemporánea. La Espiral has been holding a series of transcultural meetings of artists since 2009 in Northern Morocco and in Spain (primarily in Morocco; M'zora, Larache, Tetuan and Spain; Valencia) as well as curating exhibitions in France and in Belgium. Artists have been exploring the reality and implications of migration between the African and European continent across the Strait of Gibraltar, promoting social integration, incorporating debates and workshops with school children and youth to facilitate accessibility and exchange, as well as bringing socially engaged art to grassroots communities, often created in situ.
As a continuation of this work, La Espiral proposes a series of artist residencies, orienting our gaze towards local ecosystems and their historical and eco-mythological narratives to foster collaborations on a bioregional scale in Strait of Gibraltar, expanding and building on our current body of work.
https://colectivolaespiral.blogspot.com/
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