On the initiative of L'atelier de l'Observatoire (Casablanca), Le Cube (Rabat), Saout Radio, 18 derb el ferrane (Marrakech) and Afrique in visu, THE GREENHOUSE set up in Marrakech's Arsat Moulay Abdeslam Cyber Park (located between the medina and Gueliz) from February 24 to 29, 2016.

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A manifesto proposal

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The 5 artistic initiatives that have come together for THE GREENHOUSE were all born spontaneously in order to accompany contemporary artistic practices that are constantly redefining themselves, and to propose forms and movements that are far removed from the established and globalized symbols of the art world (biennials, galleries, residencies). In doing so, they respond primarily to local and regional needs and issues.

They don't stand in opposition to the mainstream or break away from it, but rather respond to the need to be and to redefine it.

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Their evolving form and ongoing dialogue with contemporary creation can be compared to an artistic practice in itself, all the more so as they are often a laboratory of thought and research for their founders and members, who themselves develop an artistic practice (L'Observatoire is co-founded by the artist Mohamed Fariji, Saout Radio by the artists Anna Raimondo and Younes Baba Ali, le 18 by the photographers Laila Hida and Hicham Bouzid, etc.).

However, far from limiting themselves to personal practices, they aim to generate wide-ranging projects that embrace an important part of the contemporary creative scene in their region, leaving a lasting mark on their cultural and artistic landscape through structuring projects.

 

Their proposal - at the time of the opening of the Marrakech Biennial - to create an open and participatory ephemeral art space in public space for 6 days is a manifestation of the very essence and main mission of these artistic initiatives: to offer a home, a space where projects and ideas can grow and develop, collaborate, and be a space for the emergence of new projects, other voices, new possibilities that would otherwise hardly exist.

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The Program

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Every day:

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From 12pm to 8pm, THE GREENHOUSE offers a refreshment bar, a space to work and relax, picnic areas and a library. Come and work on your own projects, exchange ideas, meet with family, friends and colleagues, or browse through the essays, comics and books we offer free of charge.

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Permanent workshops 

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SOUND NAP

A space entirely dedicated to listening to archival sound art and radio: comfortably seated on cushions with headphones, visitors can lean back and discover the various sound projects curated and produced by Saout Radio.

SEED BOMBS

Throughout the day, artists Mohamed Fariji and Juliette Déjoué invited visitors to make "seed bombs" that can be thrown or dropped anywhere (neighborhood, street, sidewalk, abandoned urban spaces, etc.).

COFFEE WITH

Scheduled daily, "coffee with" is an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas over coffee with personalities active in the field of contemporary art in Morocco and abroad.

BUBBLES 

Guests come to propose, present, project and discuss a micro-subject (a film, a life, a work, a performance, a program, an event, a project, etc.).

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February 24th

5 pm - Performance by Chourouk Hriech

6 pm - Screening of Le Park by Randa Maaroufi

February 25th

15:30 - Presentation of the Body Building project by artists Said Afifi and Hanna Nielson

6 pm - Video art projections, a proposal by artist Said Rais      

Workshops 

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February 26-27-28 

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ARTISTIC PRACTICES/RESEARCH

The artists Wiame Haddad (Ceux qui restent, life stories of former Moroccan political prisoners), Mohamed Fariji (Collective Museum, actions to recover objects from the collective memory of cities) and Abdessamadel Montassir (Résistance naturelle "Daghmous", an attempt to subtract the resistance capacities of a Saharan plant) each propose an in situ installation in THE GREENHOUSE, conceived as a space for reflection, exchange and development of their ongoing projects/research. They will be presented to the public during meetings with scientists, historians and researchers specially invited to react and reactivate the projects. Experimentation and interaction with the public are an integral part of the creative process.

 

February 26th

 

PHOTO EPHEMERE STUDIO

A fun, participatory studio.

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6pm - SAOUT AS A STATE OF MIND #1

Live radio performance in which the audience is invited to focus on the voices of the guests and to listen to sound creations from the SaoutRadio archive. Session followed by an exchange with the audience.

With artist-curators Marcus Gammel and Anna Raimondo, and writer and journalist Reda Zaireg.

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February 27th

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12 pm - SOME EVENTS WITHOUT MEANING

A permanent screening (all or part) of a single film, Quelques évènements sans significations, by Mustafa Derkaoui (Morocco, 1974, 74min). Censored at the time of its release, the film is a committed, free-spirited work of the avant-garde. A generation of artists and musicians took part in the filming in the working-class neighborhoods and bars of Casablanca's port. Interviews were conducted with each of the participants in the experiment, with a view to a dedicated publication/restoration, as part of a research project led by Léa Morin.

 

6 pm - LAB "SAOUT SAOUT SOUTH? 

This radio creation laboratory with the team of Radio Campus Marrakech was led by Anna Raimondo 

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February 28th 

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6pm - VIDEO NIGHT

A "Video Night" dedicated to the artists Zainab Andalibe and Anna Raimondo. A selection of videos, performances and sound installations dealing with the place of women in society was presented. 

 

7 pm - GENDER KARAOKE

Anna Raimondo invited us to participate in a "Gender Karaoke", a project in which the artist has reversed the genders in certain popular songs in order to short-circuit the discrimination present in the lyrics.

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With the support of Maroc Telecom and the Cyber Parc teams.

Saout Radio would like to thank its partners Openvizor, the Goethe Institut, Radio CampusMarrakech, the Bij