caravane tighmert 2020. epilogues /  by Carlos Perez Marin

In December 2020 we organised the 6th edition of the artists gathering, Caravane Tighmert. After having postponed the original date ( in April), because of the pandemic, we decided to celebrate it after the fire that burnt a third of the oasis surface, as a signal of support for the inhabitants, even if only artists living in Morocco could participate.

I could not come to Morocco because borders were closed but after this special edition, we had a series of conversations with the 7 artists, talking about their experiences and their works, but also about many different subjects that use to interest participants (nomadism, agriculture, water irrigation, caravans…). We also dedicated some time to explain the stories behind some of the member of the team (Ghassan, Slama, Mohamed…).

sup-9 lavanderas /  by Carlos Perez Marin

Casi 18 años han pasado desde la primera vez que visité la parcela de Colmenar Viejo en Madrid donde estamos trabajando en el desarrollo del sector 9 Lavanderas.

En enero se aprobó inicialmente el Plan Parcial y aunque aún queda la aprobación definitiva, la redacción del Proyecto de Urbanización y la Dirección de Obras, después de todo lo que nos ha pasado tras todos estos años, es un gran paso adelante en un proyecto que para nosotros es muy especial.

Esta es la historia de todo el proceso creativo.

En español/ in English/en français

ceuta y la autosuficiencia energética /  by Carlos Perez Marin

A menudo se nos dice que muchos de los problemas de Ceuta se derivan de nuestras limitaciones geográficas y de la falta de recursos naturales. En temas energéticos no es cierto, tenemos recursos más que suficientes, pero hay que querer y saber aprovecharlos.

He aquí un análisis de esos recursos que hacen que la autosuficiencia energética de Ceuta no sea una utopía sino una realidad alcanzable.

call for artists caravane tighmert 2021 /  by Carlos Perez Marin

Candidates (visual and performing artists) who want to participate in the 7th edition of Caravane Tighmert, which will take place from the 13th to the 21st March 2021, must send an email to caravanetighmert@gmail.com with the following information:

1 a link (website, Facebook page, Instagram, pdf, etc.) or a few representative images of your work.

2 a short text (not an artistic project) explaining your interest in this meeting, as well as the subjects on which your research will focus (maximum 150 words).

To avoid misunderstandings:

⥤ if you do not receive a receipt after sending your email to caravanetighmert@gmail.com it means we have not received it and you should send it again.

⥤ the deadline for sending the information will be December the 31st 2020 at midnight (Moroccan time). On January the 10th 2021, you will receive an email to let you know if you have been selected or not.

⥤ Caravane Tighmert is a laboratory for contemporary creation and it gives the opportunity to conduct workshops with the inhabitants of the oasis, to produce a work with materials found on the site or to do research on subjects related to the culture of the desert. Be careful, it is not a question of making an exhibition but of sharing thoughts, experiences, concerns ... around culture in places as special as Tighmert and its surroundings.

⥤ the organisation will host and feed the artists at inhabitant homes, but it will not pay the transport costs to Tighmert nor the production of the works, nor give pocket money.

⥤ the organisation reserves all rights to publish photos, videos and sound recordings taken during the artists' activities during the event.

If you ever have any questions, you can contact caravanetighmert@gmail.com.

call for artist caravane ouadane 2021 /  by Carlos Perez Marin

 

Candidates who want to participate in the first edition of Caravane Ouadane, which will take place from November the 6th to the 21st 2021, must send an email to caravaneouadane@gmail.com with the following information:

1 a link (website, Facebook page, Instagram, pdf, etc.) or a few representative images of your work.

2 a short text (not an artistic project) explaining your interest in this meeting, as well as the subjects on which your research will focus (maximum 150 words).

To avoid misunderstandings:

⥤ if you do not receive a receipt after sending your email to caravaneouadane@gmail.com it means we have not received it and you should send it again.

⥤ the deadline for sending the information will be January the 10th at midnight (Mauritanian time). On January the 31rd 2021 you will receive an email to let you know if you have been selected or not.

⥤ Caravane Ouadane is a laboratory for contemporary creation and it gives the opportunity to conduct workshops with the inhabitants of the city, to produce a work with materials found on the site or to do research on subjects related to the culture of the desert. Be careful, it is not a question of making an exhibition but of sharing thoughts, experiences, concerns ... around culture in places as special as Ouadane and its surroundings.

⥤ the organisation will host and feed the artists at inhabitant homes, but it will not pay the transport costs to Ouadane or the production of the works, nor give pocket money.

⥤ the organisation reserves all rights to publish photos, videos and sound recordings taken during the artists' activities during the event.

If you ever have any question, you can contact us by email or Facebook. You will find more information about the event in the previous post.

Caravane Ouadane is organised by Auberge Vasque chez Zaida, Teranim pour les Arts Populaires, Zeinart Concept, Marsad Drâa and Caravane Tighmert, with the support (for now) of Le Sothiou and the Network of Alliances Française de la Mauritanie.

caravane ouadane 2021 /  by Carlos Perez Marin

We are thrilled to announce the first edition of Caravane Ouadane in resonance with Caravane Tighmert. We organise it with Auberge Vasque chez Zaida, Zeinart, Teranim pour les Arts Populaires, Marsad Drâa and Caravane Tighmert.

More information: www.facebook.com/caravaneouadane

 

Introduction

Throughout centuries, the regions of Adrar in Mauritania and Wadi Noun in Morocco have followed a history, sometimes common, sometimes parallel, thanks to the tribes who moved and / or lived in the two territories or through the caravans which crossed the Sahara and which lasted until the end of the eighties. Despite the lack of more in-depth archaeological studies, one could highlight, among the most significant events, the expansion of the Almoravid dynasty and the arrival of the Banu Ma'qil tribes. So today, there is a shared heritage, tangible and intangible, as seen in the fortifications, palm groves and culture (with its different expressions). This heritage is the witness of the civilisations which on several occasions have been at the scientific, spiritual and cultural forefront of the world. Unfortunately today, the culture associated with the desert is seen as folklore and it is not given the importance it deserves, especially when it comes to dealing with the contemporaneity of the inhabitants of these regions. For this reason we are going to organise the first edition of Caravane Ouadane in resonance with Caravane Tighmert which has been taking place since 2015 in the oasis of Tighmert (Guelmim, Morocco), the former capital of Noul Lamta.

Aims

Cultural development in remote regions is one of the major challenges of our societies. The lack of artistic education, the absence of contemporary culture and the difficulties in showcasing the tangible and intangible heritage of historic places can cause inequalities that are difficult to resolve. With this perspective, we offer a series of activities with several purposes.

Contemporary culture and local population: We tend to think that contemporary culture is accessible and understandable only to a social class classified as elitist, yet if it does not concern the entire population it is because necessary instruments to bring it closer to society do not exist. For this reason, workshops will be organised so that the inhabitants of Ouadane (children, young people and women) and artists can work together. On the one hand, the first will learn artistic techniques and methodologies of representation according to the participating artists (photography, video, drawing, art installation, architecture, music, dance ...), on the other hand, seconds will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the history and culture of the city (classified as a world heritage site) hand in hand with the inhabitants.

Artistic research: the selected artists, in particular Mauritanians and Moroccans but also those from other countries, will work on aspects related to the culture, history or even daily life of Ouadane and its surroundings, because the nomadic population will also be concerned. These works will not have as their goal an exhibition at the end of the stay, it is rather a matter of promoting artistic research and the sharing of experiences as the basis of contemporary creation in a specific place, that of Ouadane and Adrar.

Contemporary revision of the common heritage: Ouadane and Tighmert still retain traces of a shared past; fortifications built by the Almoravids, oasis spaces, dances, music, poems... We invite artists to work on these subjects to establish contemporary relationships between the northern and southern shores of the Sahara desert and more specifically between Adrar and Noul Lamta.

Organisation

Participating artists: In total there will be 10, some will be invited directly as they are already working on aspects of desert and oasis regions, others will be selected after a call for applications we will publish in November 2020.

Fields of research: visual arts and performing arts (theatre, dance and music).

Dates: from the 6th to the 21st November 2021.

Partners: Le Sothiou.

Organisers: Caravane Ouadane is an initiative of Zeinart, Auberge Vasque, Teranim pour les Arts Populaires, Marsad Drâa and Caravane Tighmert.

Financing: we will not pay the travel expenses to Ouadane, we will only offer the stay with food. Launching the information immediately will allow artists to seek their own mobility grants or the funding of personal artistic projects.

epilogues caravane tighmert 2015-2018 /  by Carlos Perez Marin

En février 2020, Le 18 Marrakech a produit l’exposition À l’Épreuve du Tamis dont une partie a été dédiée à Caravane Tighmert (le projet que nous avons initié en 2015 avec Ahmed Dabah et Bouchra Boudali). La commissaire de l’exposition, Fatima-Zahra Lakrissa , a voulu montrer une sélection des interviews que j’avais réalisé aux artistes pendant les 4 premières éditions. Bien si elle a utilisé plutôt l’enregistrement d’audio, nous avons reproduit les mêmes extraits mais à partir des vidéos. 

caravanes sahariennes et nomadisme /  by Carlos Perez Marin

Présentation dans le cadre de l’Atelier Madrasa Tamnougalt (organisé par Kasbah des Caïds, Labina et Marsad Drâa) qui a eu lieu du 2 au 12 février à Tamnougalt, Zagora (Maroc). On a essayé d’expliquer l’importance des caravanes sahariennes et des nomades à l’heure de comprende les territoires et le patrimoine matériel et immatériel du sud du Maroc.

Les informations mentionnées:

Project Qafila

Sahara desert and cinema (and me)

Dimensions of a desert

forum 1-54 contemporary african art fair /  by Carlos Perez Marin

Participation in the 1-54 Forum: Enacting Agencies, in the framework of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair that took place in Marrakech, in February 2020, where I explained how we work with artists and inhabitants in the oasis of Tighmert (Guelmim, Morocco) during Caravane Tighmert.

Some of my comments come from a reflection I made in this text (click on the image):

The round table with all the interventions can be heard here:

The 1-54 Forum has been curated by The Showroom London

 

à l'épreuve du tamis /  by Carlos Perez Marin

Next Thursday, the 20th February, Le 18 Marrakech presents a collective exhibition curated by Fatima-Zahra Lakrissa, À l’épreuve du tamis, with artists Mohamed Arejdal, Nassim Azarzar, Ihsane Boudrig M’barek Bouhchichi, Khadija El Abyad, Abdeljalil Saouli and the projects Caravane Tighmert and Festival International d’Art Indigène.

Graphic design: Nassim Azarzar

Text: Fatima-Zahra Lakrissa

As a part of Caravane Tighmert, there will be audio interviews, pictures, textes and drawings from the researches developed during 10 years in the desert that have been used by artists for their contemporary creations. This kind of archive is online through the following websites:

www.marsaddraa.com

www.caravanetighmert.com

www.projectqafila.com

www.carlosperezmarin.com

This is a parallel project of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair that will take place in Marrakech (20-23 February).