City Shadows | Play the Cave
Two projects which promote city occupation and the participation of local citizens in Egypt
About Mahatat for Contemporary Art - Learn about contemporary art stationsmahatat for contemporary art
MAHATAT COLLECTIVE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
The exclusivity of the art scene in Egypt marginalizes the majority of the population from being an art audience and centralization of the arts deprives amateurs and emerging artists outside the capital from exposure and skills development opportunities.
Our role is to take art beyond centralized channels and nurture creative expression and production of art as a visible and accessible part of our everyday life.
CITY SHADOWS: a toolkit on how to transform abandoned spaces through the arts.
Villa Fernand on Abdel Salam Aref street stands amongst Port Said’s neglected cultural heritage. The building behind Villa Fernand was a colorful old building that is now in the process of demolition. An open and empty space behind these two structures stood idle and unused with the exception of hosting trash. This was the space chosen for the City Shadows event, part of a creative action research with the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) to explore the ways abandoned spaces in cities can be revived through art.
City shadowsmahatat for contemporary art
Artists
Rana El Nemr (Artistic Consultant),
Nadia Mounir (Visual Artist & Curator),
Nancy Mounir (Musician),
Omar Moustafa (Musician),
Nirvan Taha (Origami artist)
City shadowsmahatat for contemporary art
In a short time-frame, this discretly hidden space in Port Said was cleaned-up, revamped and transformed.
The exhibition revolved around Port Said’s popular culture, alternative history and how the citizens are entangled in their city’s heritage and history.
City shadowsmahatat for contemporary art
With the support of Artistic Consultant Rana El Nemr, curator and visual artist Nadia Mounier brought the space back to life through old and new photos, video installations and collectibles from Port Said.
City shadowsmahatat for contemporary art
Audiences were invited in and free to move around as they wish, slowly discovering items such as the paper crafts by artist Nervan Talha. Curators and musicians Nancy Mounir and Omar Mostafa flooded the space with experimental music tracks that faintly spread to the neighbouring streets.
City shadowsmahatat for contemporary art
"You made me regain faith that this city is beautiful."
An attendee from Port Said
City shadowsmahatat for contemporary art
For many of the over 300 Port Said residents that attended, it was their first time to hear that Villa Fernand even existed. As a lead up to the event, the group from Port Said Ala Adeemo designed walking and bike tours around the city to take people around significant cultural and historical places including those that have been abandoned.
City shadowsmahatat for contemporary art
This event was developed to support in the creation of a Do-it-Yourself toolkit on how to revive abandoned spaces and redirect their use towards artistic learning and expression, developed by Shaimaa Atef.
The research has been supported by the European Cultural Foundation and was initiated during the 2015 Idea Camp.
City shadowsmahatat for contemporary art
Check out the toolkit here.
City shadowsmahatat for contemporary art
PLAY THE CAVE
An 11-day workshop was implemented with the children from Ezbet Khairallah, led by three artists working with up-cycling material. An art installation in public space with several up-cycled functional products, which was installed and later put on display in a public area in the neighbourhood. During the preparation phase, 15 young volunteers aged between 19-25 were chosen by the NGOs to receive an orientation session from Mahatat on cultural management, up-cycling, community art and art in public space so that they can continue long after the project ends. The workshops final products were an art installation, four benches, garbage bins, cartoon figures and an iron & wooden men all made from the upcycled material available in the neighborhood.
Mosaic - The Play Cavemahatat for contemporary art
Play the cavemahatat for contemporary art
Artists
Hatem Mousa
Amir Abdelghany
Mohamed Hassan Darwish
Videographer: Omar Manjouneh.
Play the cavemahatat for contemporary art
Play the cavemahatat for contemporary art
"What are you doing is not going to fix it, what about art if there was no food, health or education? what would we gain? Teach us first, feed us first..."
A lady in her 50's, Ezbet Khair Allah
Play the cavemahatat for contemporary art
Play the cavemahatat for contemporary art
"Daughter, do you know how much this is a relief? we are humans, we don't like the fact of having all this piles of garbage, but we have no other way to get rid of it. Now you are a proof that we can help to clean our own area, we had several experiments with government but it takes too much time. I think we can all start from here now and never wait for impossible to happen.
A lady in her 60's, Ezbet Khair Allah
Play the cavemahatat for contemporary art
Play the cavemahatat for contemporary art
"Oh God, these are so nice drawings and colors. Can I participate!!"
A passerby child, Ezbet Khair Allah
Play the cavemahatat for contemporary art
Play the cavemahatat for contemporary art
Play the cavemahatat for contemporary art
Play the cavemahatat for contemporary art
"Thank you very much, you really care about learning. You know if you want to achieve a real change, please help these kids to take care of our streets too." - A man in his 50., Ezbet Khairallah
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