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‘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 (ποιεá¿–ν) 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.
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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.
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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.
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KARMIT EVEN-ZUR
Date
To be confirmed
Tuition Fees
£190 or £170 Early bird
Where
East Sussex, UK.
The Living Pulse
Dates to be confirmed
From the cycles of tides to the sinusoidal flow of a river, from the diurnal beat of light and dark to the annual input of the seasons, the Earth Speaks to us in rhythms and patterns that influence our behaviour. By fostering an awareness to environmental rhythms and patterns, we come into sacred communication with the creative forces of life. Participation in this ever flowing flux is a creative act, that requires being awake in our senses and our will forces.
In this module we will tap into Nature’s movement, pulse and beat. We will explore cyclical consciousness, a consciousness that perceives Time as cyclical rather than linear progression, to come into harmony with the flow of Life itself. We will work with shapes, forms and patterns; repetitive and rhythmical, to expand our sensitivity to the intelligent living systems of Nature. This module will have an emphasis on expressing and marking these patterns that connect all life forms. Participants will be required to begin a creative diary/calendar marking their relationship to a chosen aspect in nature which they will be able to continue to explore over the months following the course.