Stitching Stories of Land

Part of the Alserkal Arts Foundation’s Research Grants programme, this intimate workshop led by Khalda El Jack, Zainab Gaafar and Hind Abdelbagi invites us to reflect, rewind and revisit the meaning of land through storytelling.

Inspired by the “Drawing for Hope: Affective mapping for Palestine” workshop hosted by KUL4Palestine in 2023, this collective workshop acts as a hands-on artistic exploration with participants in conversation with the land-centered thematics of the exhibition. Touching on the various ways with which our relationships to land are constituted, from the intimate space of belonging to the politics of extraction and violent land grabbing, this workshop explores the multifaceted notions of land and its meanings to each of us. By artistically representing and stitching together each of our stories, we will create a pluriveral map in conversation with one another This map will be discussed at the convening and later exhibited within the space.

مستوحاة من ورشة عمل "الرسم من أجل الأمل: رسم الخرائط العاطفية لفلسطين" التي استضافتها KUL4Palestine في عام 2023، تعمل هذه الورشة الجماعية بمثابة استكشاف فني عملي مع المشاركين في محادثة حول موضوعات المعرض التي تتمحور حول الأرض. من خلال التطرق إلى الطرق المختلفة التي تتشكل بها علاقاتنا بالأرض، بدءًا من الفضاء الحميم للانتماء إلى سياسة الاستخراج والاستيلاء العنيف على الأراضي، تستكشف هذه الورشة المفاهيم المتعددة الجوانب للأرض ومعانيها لكل واحد منا. ومن خلال تمثيل كل قصة من قصصنا ودمجها معًا بشكل فني، سننشئ خريطة متعددة الثقافات في محادثة مع بعضنا البعض. ستتم مناقشة هذه الخريطة لاحقًا في الاجتماع وسيتم عرضها ضمن مساحة "هذه الأرض (لنا، لك، لمنو؟)".

Programme

11:00pm | Introductions and tour of exhibition

11.30pm | Working on individual pieces

12.15pm | Stitching & sharing

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Biographies

Khalda El Jack is a trained architect and urban researcher currently based in Belgium with ten years of experience. Her current work explores how displacement has shaped Khartoum through spatially understanding the entanglements that lie between the movement of bodies, movements of resistance and the movement of nature. With a particular focus on the peri-urban landscape transformation of Khartoum, her interests focus on critical mapping as a tool to showcase the entanglements that constitute the spaces of the city, drawing from various forms of situated knowledge, resistance and inhabitation practices.

Zainab Gaafar is an Architect, researcher, and multidisciplinary project manager, she has a special interest in urban space and urban subjects. For the past ten years, she has been roaming the streets of Khartoum and documenting to try to understand the urban fabric, and how people utilise the built environment and interact with the city. Currently, she is the founder of Studio Urban, an experimental practice with an exploration lens that conducts research, maps out different phenomenon, and experiments with the use of different technologies, art, and visual and audio mediums as a tool to communicate knowledge to a bigger audience.

Hind Abdelbagi is an architect, artist, and researcher with a strong background in visual arts and urban studies. Currently working as a research assistant at Studio Urban, she focuses on land policies, cultural heritage, and community resilience in Sudan, exploring the effects of urbanization on traditional ways of life. Her work promotes empathy, identity, and belonging within urban spaces, delving into intersections of urban design, social issues, and cultural preservation. Hind emphasizes inclusivity, resilience, and human connection, aiming to foster awareness and equity within urban environments.

Image courtesy by Khalda El Jack and Zainab Gaafar