In Search of the Pluriverse

Casablanca: who owns the city #9 Grocco/Trick54

As a kid Grocco  – artist name, his real name is a well kept secret – wanted to make a difference “I’m gonna be King of Casablanca!”.  He worked hard and became a grafitti legend. His tag Trick54 can be found all over Marocco and is unavoidable in the urban Casablanca area.  
Covid kept Grocco inside and he started to draw more. From his sketchbook, faces started to appear in the public domain. Ambivalent, yet tranquil faces, with holes and phallus-like bulges attached to them. Who is this creature? A visitor, is it Casablanca?
Recently even more enigmatic works appear in the streets of the city: three-dimensional fragments, compositions, carefully layed out on the pavement. Is it trash, are they messages, is it language? For Grocco everything is a trick. Life is a trick, art is a trick.  
Listen to a trickster who became a legend at the age of 30. 
 
References:
More on Grocco:https://www.instagram.com/_grocco_/Grocco’s film: Untitled Life Experiencehttps://consent.youtube.com/m?continue=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Dd5X0soQI2lM%26cbrd%3D1&gl=NL&m=0&pc=yt&hl=nl&src=1

Casablanca: who owns the city #8 Fountain Talk

We meet at Musée Collectif with all participants of this ‘who owns the city’ edition: Mouna, Bodil, Rubén, Samba and Mohamed. Maria could not make it but is present in spirit. Some new voices join: street artist Grocco/Trick54 (more on him in talk #4 and #9), cultural producer Jamal Abdennassar (who Wong & Krier worked with in 201o) and artist/curator Yemoh Odoi (who organises artistic residencies for underrepresented members of the migrant population with his organisation The Minority Globe). Last but not least: Francien van Westrenen from Het Nieuwe Insitituut is also present in this circle of Casa-voices.
Musée Collectif is located close to a public fountain in Le parc de la Ligue Arabe. Miraculously our host Mohamed Faridji was able to turn it off, just for the length of this group talk. 
We share the experiences and conversations of the past days and try to make sense of it: Casablanca as phoenix that burns and rises from its ashes, over and over again. The city as amplifier of notions, movements and manifestations. This migrant city invites to start over, to let go of what was. But how to solidify, to secure things in the long term? How to activate a collective memory? At the end of the talk Mouna thanks the internet. Is that the place to store Casa’s memories?
 
References:
Les années de plomb (1956-1999, years of cultural repression)https://savoirs.rfi.fr/fr/comprendre-enrichir/histoire/maroc-les-annees-de-plombAncien théâtre municipal de Casablanca (1922-1984)https://www.geneanet.org/cartes-postales/view/347663#0L’Uzinehttps://luzine.ma/Casaprojectahttp://casaprojecta.over-blog.com/ICI Casa, Ville Inventive (2010)https://sophiekrier.com/portfolio/ici-casa-ville-inventive/

Casablanca: who owns the city #7 Mohamed Faridji

Mohamed Faridji co-founded Atelier de l’Observatoire in 2011, around the same time we – Wong & Krier – lived and worked in Casablanca for three months. At the time we did not meet, now we do. We were attracted by Le Musée Collectif (part of Atelier de l’Observatoire) a roaming museum, housed in sea container, presently located in Parc de la Ligue Arabe, which locals still call Parc Yasmina. Faridji is an artist/activist who attempts to cultivate a collective cultural memory of Casa: Is an obsolete polyester Mickey Mouse with one ear missing a piece of trash, or does it have cultural value? Faridji tries to answer this question by collecting, archiving and displaying cultural artefacts like this one-eared Mickey. His approach is inclusive, participatory and citizen driven. We chose the Musée Collectif as location for our final group talk. 
We meet in the parc, where Sophie’s brain needs to work twice as hard as in in other talks: Mohamed speaks French, Krier interviews and translates at the same time. Well done, both Sophie and Mohamed!
A talk about the absence of constructive cultural policy, cultural rights and how to deal with that. How to keep institutions that disappear – like the Casablanca Aquarium – present in the shared Casa memory? How to activate the imagination that is linked to those memories? Why? Faridji: “We need to celebrate humanity”. 
 
References:
Atelier de L’observatoire, Musée Collectifhttps://www.atelierobservatoire.com/musee-collectifL’Aquarium imaginairehttps://www.atelierobservatoire.com/aquariumParc Yasminahttps://www.atelierobservatoire.com/musee-collectif-parc-yasmina

Casablanca: who owns the city #6 Samba Soumbounou

After taking us to Lac d’Oulfa, Sidi Moumen and Hay Mohammedi for our vertical field trip (talk #2), today Samba Soumbounou brings us to the neighbourhood where he first settled in Casa, arriving from Mauretania 10 years ago. He is a cultural engineer and mediator: connecting dots and making these connections meaningful and productive. Samba is the embodiment of social glue, extremely approachable, always willing to ‘step in’. During our stay his phone rings frequently and many people stop him in the streets to ask something or to just say hi. It earned him the hashtag #letscallsamba!
We talk about the divide between people and policy making: the lack of communication. It makes sense that this topic matters to Samba. In Mauretania the Soumbounou family is responsible for the collective memory: to pass things on. His family is also associated with playing the drum. In Mauritanian culture the drum connects and harmonises. In Casablanca there is a lot to harmonise – capital investors, builders, politics, citizens: they don’t communicate well. In the end the city is determined by people, not buildings. It is not about the ‘what’. It is about the ‘who’ and ‘how’. 
 
References:
Kandara’Lab : Villes - Culture - Patrimoine (Samba Soumbounou, field trip guide)https://www.facebook.com/kandaralab/?modal=admin_todo_tourAfrikayna, foundation for pan-african mobilityhttps://afrikayna.com/mobilite-artistique/Café Espace de l’enfant, au parc la foret verthttp://maps.app.goo.gl/RbPBJFPZkETkeNbEA?g_st=iw 

Casablanca: who owns the city #5 Bodil Ouédraogo

Bodil Ouédraogo was born and raised in Amsterdam by a Dutch mother and a father from Burkina Faso. As a human being and as a designer she cherishes her bi-cultural background. She studies it, she materialises it. In her own words: “I have no choice, my identity cannot be ignored.” 
After an interesting fashion walk through Casa with Mouna Belgrini, we end up in the courtyard of a fabric store in wholesale district Derb Omar. Apart from the background noise an interesting context for our conversation. We talk about the art of dressing up and how combining different existing layers can form brand new identities. Ouédragaogo just came from Burkina Faso and Nigeria and she reflects on idea howt different cultures activate different types of (creative) thinking. We also talk about the classic ‘grand boubou’ as inspiration and the interesting properties of latex. Through the eyes of Bodil everything is related to identity: from a spray painted name tag in the streets to (fake) louis vuitton bags. After the talk we go shopping for home accessories. Because life = work = life. 
 
References:
More on Bodil Ouédraogohttps://www.bodilouedraogo.com/Cafe Antichttps://www.google.com/maps/place/Caf%C3%A9+Antic+Palais/@33.5930385,-7.6169649,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x308f6d8a5b65d8b6!8m2!3d33.5930385!4d-7.6169649Bram Owusuhttps://soundcloud.com/bkowusuAlára Lagoshttps://www.instagram.com/alaralagos/Waffles N Creamhttps://www.wafflesncream.com 

Casablanca: who owns the city #4 Mouna Belgrini

Mouna Belgrini is the perfect tour guide: she knows Casablanca in and out, and she effortlessly connects places, facts and narratives. We could have roamed the city for weeks, but had to limit ourselves to a sublime day of walking and talking. Belgrini is a (photo)journalist, cultural producer and communicator. On a practical level this means Mouna is connecting, editing and distributing content 24/7. We talk about how she learned to live in this complex city, we talk about fear and joy, we look at street art and reflect on the impact the pandemic had on daily life in Casablanca.
When we arrive at her apartment, we dive into what Mouna loves most: dance. From the moment she laid eyes on street dancers at art space L’Uzine, to creating a new space – both digital and physical – for creative energy/dance: Liquid Bridge. 
We end the talk with a tour through digital Casablanca. What has a platform like Instagram brought to the city? And what does the future have in store for young – digital – personalities? Will they go, or are they here to stay?
 
References:
Kabareh Cheikhatshttps://www.instagram.com/kabarehcheikhats/Grocco/Trick54https://www.instagram.com/_grocco_/Liquid Bridgehttps://www.instagram.com/liquid.bridge/Casa soccer team Redhttps://www.instagram.com/wacofficiel/Casa soccer team Greenhttps://www.instagram.com/rcaofficiel/Karim Chaterhttps://www.instagram.com/style_beldi/Cheb Pablo Size Mhttps://www.instagram.com/latal3a/ 

Casablanca: who owns the city #3 Rubén Dario Kleimeer

Rotterdam based photographer Rubén Dario Kleimeer portrays the urban landscape and the people inhabiting it. He uses the medium photography to analyse and better understand urban spaces. With the gaze of an urban ethnographer, he explores the built environment in which we live, work and dwell. 
Kleimeer picked the spot for our conversation: Place des Nation Unies, a spacious square where different networks of transportation cross. At the far end of the square, in the shade of a tree, we talk about photography in relation to time and space. If you take a lot of time to make a picture, is that time reflected in the image? Does that image last longer than an instant snapshot? What places in the city is Kleimeer interested in? And what is the perfect perspective, angle to photograph them from? 
Four months after our talk we meet again in Rotterdam, to take a closer look at the photos Rubén took during our days in Casa. Do these pictures last?
 
References:
More on Rubén Dario Kleimeerhttps://www.rubendariokleimeer.com/Anfa Parkhttps://www.instagram.com/anfa_park/Casablanca Tramwayhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casablanca_TramwayBest drummershttps://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-drummers-of-all-time-77933/ 

Casablanca: who owns the city #2 Vertical Field Trip

In the meantime all four participants/makers of this Casablanca edition have arrived: Bodil Ouédraogo, Rubén Dario Kleimeer, Mouna Belgrini and Samba Soumbounou. Next to local insider Maria Daïf, Francien van Westrenen from Het Nieuwe Instituut joins us for the five day programme that in the end results in this series of conversations, but kicks off with a ‘vertical field trip’. An attempt to ground ourselves and be truly present in the Casablanca ‘here and now’.
Samba Soumbounou and Mouna Belgrini take us on a dazzling tour. We start in Firdaouss, a quiet small scale neighbourhood at the west side of the city, bordered by Lac El Oulfa, a former stone quarry, now an artificial lake. We pick up trash at the shore, circle the lake and have lunch at the central square. At the borders of the lake the pressure of commericial development is tangible. Samba took us here because he works in collaboration with the citizens, trying to improve the quality of public space. 
In the evening we take the tram to Sidi Moumen and Hay Mohammedi at the east side of Casa, two vibrant working class neighbourhoods. We visit a cultural centre, a local market and take a peek at colonial architectural heritage, that over the years is ‘decolonised’ by its inhabitants. 
This soundscape tries to capture the moods, sounds, views and smells of the day that made a big impression on all of us. 
 
References:
Bruit du frigo (urban creation collective) at Lac d’Oulfahttps://bruitdufrigo.com/en/projets/fiche/la-fabrique-du-lac/  Subsaharan migrants in Moroccohttps://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/growing-destination-sub-saharan-africans-moroccoLes Etoiles de Sidi Moumen, cultural centrehttps://english.alaraby.co.uk/features/moroccos-sidi-moumen-cultural-centre-changing-futures-and-perceptionsHay Mohammadi: a re-appropriated modernist neighborhoodhttps://www.thepolisblog.org/2012/07/adaptations-of-vernacular-modernism.html

Casablanca: who owns the city #1 Maria Daïf

In 2010, we  – Wong & Krier – lived and worked for three months in Casa, as locals call Casablanca. Aim was to embrace the city as a place of production and to make a portrait of its hidden qualities: We named it: ICI Casa, Ville Inventive. The resulting exhibition was an optimistic tribute to the resourcefulness of a thriving city. Many questions however were left unanswered once the residency was over: for instance the fragility and invisibility of the – quite substantial –  informal economy, and the gentrification of the city through capital investors, materialised in luxury shopping malls. More than ten years and a pandemic later, we return to Casa, in search of who makes the city, who owns it, and who is granted access to it. 
We start this series of conversations with our local insider Maria Daïf. Maria spent 15 years as a cultural journalist (print and radio), then turned to cultural mediation, supporting independent art projects throughout the African/Arabic region. She is a fire starter, curator, writer and an important voice in contemporary Casablanca. 
We meet Maria at the seaside, where we look out on the beach, an obsolete concrete swimming pool and the Atlantic Ocean. We talk about the late 90ies, early 2000s when King Mohammed VI took over from his father Hassan II, Moroccan society opened up and Maria’s career as a journalist blossomed. We also talk about the complicated dance between the authority, the rules and the people. Maria describes the difficult cultural climate: how things come, go and come again. 
A talk about the past, present and future of a city that Daïf loves, and is about to leave. A new rural existence lingers beyond the horizon. 
 
References:
Magazine: Femmes du Marcochttps://femmesdumaroc.com/Magazine: TELQUELhttps://telquel.ma/Creative collective Skefkefhttps://www.instagram.com/skefkefmag/Art/cutural space L’Uzinehttps://luzine.ma/ICI Casa, Ville Inventive (2010)https://sophiekrier.com/portfolio/ici-casa-ville-inventive/

Fluid selves, fluid Berlin #7 Finale: Body talk

Imagine a cold, dark and rainy afternoon in November. The group (Dimitrova, Espinosa, Zahn, Wong, Krier and audiotechnician Robert) gathers under an old amusement park bumper-car-roof. We wear silent headphones with discolights. We are in the shadows of Haus der Statistik, that houses artistic and research based projects during its renovation. We use a score by Mia Habib and walk clockwise in circles. Robert stands in the middle, holding the mic. 
A walking, searching conversation that covers most subjects we touched upon these past few days: fluidity, violence, urban capitalism, the relation between body, city and health. The tone of the conversation is committed yet bleak. At the end Sophie lights up the space by quoting Puddles the Pelican: “It’s gonna be alright, even if it’s not gonna be alright”. 
References:
Glossary of Urban Praxis, Werkstätte Berlin, 2022:https://www.urbanepraxis.berlin/glossary-of-urban-praxis/?lang=enModellprojekt Haus der Statistik:https://hausderstatistik.orgMia Habib: All, a physical form of protest:https://www.miahabib.com/?portfolio=all-a-physical-poem-of-protestBeyoncé, Formation:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDZJPJV__bQBody of Bodies, Stadterweitern:https://stadterweitern.de/publicationA pluralistic universe, William James, 1908:https://journals.openedition.org/ejpap/756Neue Kreuzberger Kunstverein:https://www.nbk.org/deJeremy Wade aka Puddles the Pelican:https://showdownpodcast.podigee.io/69-new-episode