School of Casablanca Seminar and Excursion

School of Casablanca Seminar and Exkursion

This seminar focused on the former art school of Casablanca and the current project ‘School of Casablanca’ related to it (KW Institute forContemporary Art and Sharjah Art Foundation, incollaboration with Goethe-Institut Marokko,ThinkArt and Zamân Books & Curating). We explored the experiment of an anti-colonial art school which became an important place to re-think the relationship between art and craft, to attempt to rewrite art history and had an impact on theentire region. In keeping with the legacy of the ‘School of Casablanca’ the seminar was accompanied by first hand experiences with an excursion and a series of material workshops. The excursion followed the heritage of Moroccan weaving, ornamentation and the relationship between textiles and architecture, as well as the exhibitions and public programmes of the project in Casablanca in November, and Berlin in February.

The artists of the School of Casablanca understood and chose to pursue research oriented towards abstraction. We followed their footsteps in pursuing abstraction as a language for action, and re-appropriating it back from the notion of it being a XXth century western painterly invention, as is beautifully explained in a passage of a text by Toni Maraini which explains that, in the school: “A lot of attention was given to the signs and symbols, their aesthetic, iconography and history within the Afro- Mediterranean space. (...) A beautiful rural traditional carpet — the work of a woman artisan from the Houz region — was hung on the wall of the painting class to inspire students. The carpet was friendlily named ‘Klee’s carpet.”

The seminar split between more historical, theoretical and conceptual seminars (Tuesday afternoons), including readings, listenings, films and group discussions; and very practical textile- based workshops (Wednesday mornings), which will include weaving, pattern-making, silk-screen printing, sowing, etc... The excursion to Morocco took place from November 10-20, starting in Casablanca, for the opening of the School of Casablanca project, and to visit the installation by Céline Condorelli. From there, on November 13, we traveled to Marrakesh, to visit carpet markets and dealers as well as various specialized museums, and different locations and workshops connected to the local textile manufactories. Afterwards went back to Casablanca, where we will participate in the further public program of the "School of Casablanca“.

During the excursion we documented, researched and analyzed. Based on this research, designs for textile objects, performances and other creative forms of engagement were developed in the accompanying seminar during the winter semester 22/23. In February 2024 the developed works were presented in „IFA Gallery Berlin“ as part of the „School of Casablanca“ exhibition.

https://schoolofcasablanca.com/

https://www.ifa.de/veranstaltung/becoming-students-of-the-school-of-casablanca/

WS23/24, Exhibition IFA Gallery, Berlin 17.02.2024

supervision: Prof. Celine Condorelli, Freia Achenbach

Participants: Rita Andrulyte, Nils Bergmann, Franka Breunig, Patricia Capalija, Jaya Demmer, Lina Charlotte Determann, Ina Grabosch, Erik Grunder, Laura Haak, Jule Köpke, Corinne Riepert, Sebastian Schillbach, Jette Schwabe, Melanie Wisser, Juliana Vargas Zapata

Credits: Handout for the exhibition by Nils Bergmann