On landing Karim who I was sat next to on the flight hired a car and offered to drop me at the train station allowing me from negotiating with the airport taxis (who in my experience charge over the odds!). The fair should be no more than 80 dirham (6 pounds) but often quoted 100-150Dh. On route he invited me to his family home for food even though it was Ramadan. I was welcomed with a croissant and coffee and then a drop off at the station where I picked up my train ticket – 195,00 Dh in advance for the 16.45pm, 4.5 hours journey to Rabat.
I had planned to visit KECH collective art gallery based in Marrakech but unfortunately the venue closed just days before my arrival. http://www.kech-collective.com.
KECH is a group of cultural activists and artists from Morocco and Switzerland. I briefly met one of the members Aniko M.E. Boehler who is a visual artist, curator, filmmaker and anthropologist when I was last here for the Marrakech biennial (a partner of the KECH organization). KE’CH collective was founded in 2015 by cultural actors from Morocco and Switzerland. Its mission is to empower creatives and encourages cross-cultural exchange and interaction, through swap laboratories. The collective provides a platform for contemporary art, design and culture. KECH was a successful pilot promoting cultural collaboration within a Riad environment support by members’ own funds with time away from their jobs. KE’CH collective was founded in 2015 by cultural actors from Morocco and Switzerland.
You can support them by donation at www.generosity.com.
KE’CH Collective – Future Projects.
I was keen to meet with Aniko because she’s established in cross exchange programs (swap 2016) whereby artists from Morocco and Switzerland exhibit their collective artist analysis on European and North African identity within a “Laboratoire de la Mondialit’. Through cross-cultural collaboration, its mission is to empower creatives and encourages cross-cultural exchange and interaction. Through swap laboratories, the collective provides a platform for contemporary art, design and culture by Edouard Glissant’s Mondailite, defined as the worldwide change and exchange that recognises and preserves diversity. I had not heard of Edouard Glissant’s who was a Martinican writer, poet, philosopher, and literary critic born 1928.
KECH hopes to continue in Switzerland with Swap2017 to gain a well-rounded dialogue among the artists, their works, cultures and communities. I aim to replicate something similar between Neo:artists (the arts studios based in Bolton) and Rabat and subsequently a launch pad proposal to Castlefield Gallery, Manchester. Another idea is to include the blind, both here in Rabat and in Greater Manchester. To move forward with these ideas I would require a travel bursary so I will visit the British council whist based in Rabat for more information.
