‘A NEW VISION’ Artist Development in Rabat (Morocco)

I had heard many times that Chefchaouen was a must and see destination, so it was high on my hit list. As mentioned in my previous blog post film student Wassim Ahajjam is from Chefchaouen and kindly found me a house to rent for 3 nights.

Chefchaouen or Chaouen, as it is often called, is a popular tourist destination. The name refers to the shape of the mountain tops above the town, that look like the two horns (chaoua) of a goat. “Chef Chaouen” derives from the Berber word for horns. There are approximately 200 hotels catering to the summer influx of European tourists. One distinction possessed by Chefchaouen is its blue-rinsed houses and buildings. There are several theories as to why the walls were painted blue. One popular theory is that the blue keeps mosquitos away, another is that Jews introduced the blue when they took refuge from Hitler in the 1930s. The blue is said to symbolise the sky and heaven, and serve as a reminder to lead a spiritual life.

Chefchaouen is a popular shopping destination, offering many native handicrafts that are not available elsewhere in Morocco, such as wool garments and woven blankets. The goat cheese native to the area is also popular with tourists. I bought a lovely soft nature towel of pink and some scary looking goat shoes.

Moroccan eyes in Chefchaouen

I visited the old Kasbah in the centre of the town to take photographs and record sound. It was quiet because it was still Ramadan and the call to prayer sounded wonderful whilst I was sat in beautiful quiet courtyard.  There’s the tower and the prison and the views of the mountain setting were amazing. Entry is 10 Dirhams.

The surrounding countryside has a reputation for being a prolific source of chief and the region is one of the main producers of cannabis in Morocco. I didn’t part-take in that department just getting high on the place, people and my lovely companion Pauline who I met in Rabat and works at the British Council. She’s always wanted to visit here and had finished work for the summer, so good timing and a brilliant experience.

Journey from Rabat to Chefchaouen in a car is approx 4 hours. Here are some photographs I took along the way.

Arrived!

I was staying in an apartment in the centre of Rabat that belongs to a Spanish architect and his friend Hanae Elyakoubi Hmimid is currently studying at the ISMAC: institut superieur des métiers de l’audovisuel et du cinéma. She asked if I minded the students using the flat to film a horror thriller as part of their course project. Of course I agreed and was happy to watch the process of organising and filming which I have to say was Moroccan timing! They were due at 8am but after encountering a few issues filming it became an afternoon and very late evening process. I was impressed with the time put into staging, especially the make up artists work which was excellent. I also met Hassane Benabbou the Directeur and specialist in large budget films and special effects who teaches at the University. Sound was recorded by Wassim Ahajjam who is from Chefchaouen known to be one of the prettiest towns in the Rif area. He kindly found me a house to rent for 3 days the following week after I expressed an interest in going there. A few days after the filming took place I visited ISMAC after being invited to the university to see the working space, film sets and campus. I have remained in contacted with Mina Abouelanouar and Hanae Elyakoubi Hmimid two of the students  and we discussed a future collaborative film focussing on woman, so watch this space!

The British Council is situated opposite a popular cafe called ‘Majestic’ and is located on the 5th floor of the British University. As part of my travel bursary networking was key and earlier in February I visited the British Council, however at that time the arts project manager was on holiday and therefore it was important for me to visit again.

This time I met with Farah Fawzi the Councils Arts Project Manager who remembered the business card I left months prior and was available to listen as I explained who I was and what my current project and visit entailed. She was interested to hear about my ideas and film ‘A New Vision” (when the mind hears) featuring Toufik Elbouchiti regarding the ‘gaze’ created specifically with Blind and partially blind audiences in mind. I aim to put together a proposal which will include a cross exchange of artists from Morocco and the North-west of England and potentially Farah will be a good contact to talk through future plans.

Worth noting is an art supplies shop called FORTIN SELECT just further down the road from the British University and British Council.

In the afternoon I visited L’Espace Expressions, a free entry exhibition organised by the CDG Foundation showcasing the work of Moroccan artist Khalil El Ghrib, who apparently rarely exhibits! He was born in 1948 in Asilah where he currently lives and works and does not sign his works nor sell them. I vaguely remember seeing his work at the Marrakech Biennale in February.

www.marrakechbiennale.org/component/content/article/72-6th-edition/artists/main-exhibition/752-khalil-el-ghrib

The exhibition was well presented in a natural light setting with various framed works on paper and group under different headings. Running through the middle of the space were long rectangular glass boxes containing various detritus and well worn and aged objects.

Khalil El Ghrib states “The time for me is the common factor in all my work”.

The Mohammed VI Museum Of Modern and Contemporary Art is located in the centre of Rabat not far from the train station and near Terminus Hotel which showcases a sun terrace and great views of the city.

The Museum is a large sold building, having a brightness and lightness of colourful artwork images running along its sides. Outside the main door is a featured sculpture with smaller contemporary sculptures situated in floral areas front and back of the building.

The gallery opened in 2014 and  is worth 200 million dirhams being designed by architect Karim Chakor. This is the first museum institution dedicated entirely to modern and contemporary art. The Museum was designed to raise awareness and initiate the public to contemporary artistic creation, and promote participation in the country’s cultural life as well as openness on international creation. It offers trainings and conferences to well-informed audience, the likes of art graduates and art historians.

https://www.facebook.com/MuseeMohammed6/

I enjoyed the Giacometti exhibition very much as I knew little about the artist and was pleased and impressed to see retrospective of a European artist, including one who I realised was influenced by African art.

Accompanied by Marouane Aouinat a Moroccan artist contact, I was introduced to Moulin the gallery technician who put together the show and a lady named Hind. Hind was on an internship over the summer and kindly explained that the exposition spans approximately forty years of the artist’s career.

It was helpful to see the artists journey and how he conceived and created the various works on display, especially seeing photographs that show his studio and the materials he used. I took many photographs which was a plus as most big galleries back home in the UK restrict camera use.

Another afternoon will be required with a visit to their nice looking cafe with outside shaded area for a well deserved break, as there was not enough time to see all the gallery. There is an upstairs floor dedicated to the history of Moroccan artists and in the basement a huge sculpture and installation room with current work. More time required!

Theres is place called Chellah where I wanted to visit and record sound after hearing positive comments about the place, so I arranged to meet Marouane Aouinat a Fine Artist who studied Art at Institut National des Beaux-Arts in Tétouan.

The History of Challah is it’s a medieval fortified Muslim necropolis located in the metro area of Rabat, on the South side of the Bou Regreg estuary. The Phoenicians established a trading emporium at the site and called it “Sala”.

Salā was the name given to the city founded by the Muslim conquerors of North Africa, which was mostly abandoned during the Almohad era, then rebuilt by the Marinids in the 13th century. The ruins of their medieval fortress are still extant. The Berber Almohads used the site as a royal burial ground. The Marinids made the site a holy necropolis, or Chellah, and built a complex that included mosque, minaret, and royal tombs. The tall minaret of the now-ruined mosque was built of stone and zellige tile-work, and still stands. Contrary to legend, the corsairs of Salé did not actually operate out of Salé, but out of the city that would later become known as Rabat.

It was quiet when we visited with not many tourists, so I was able to get some sound recording done with my new Tascam recorder. There are many storks nesting and the sound of them calling was unexpected and  interesting. It is a beautiful, calm environment with many cats being look after by a lady who feeds them at a wishing well pond. Myself and Marouane made a short video of him singing and drumming ontop of the water that flowed around the gardens, which I will edit in time and post onto Vimeo.