Saharawi arts and culture at the V&A

Last Saturday 23rd June Sandblast, with the support of the V&A Museum and in an event linked to Refugee Week, put together 'Out of the Sand - We are Saharawi', a sensational Saharawi arts and culture day at the Sackler's Centre of the museum. The event run from midday until approximately 4.30pm, and involved music, film, talk and a jewellery making workshop.

MUSIC: EL ANDALUZ

El Andaluz at the V&A Sackler's Centre

Fantastic Algerian music group El Andaluz Band, made up of Yazid Fentazi (oud), Karim Dellali (darboucka) and special guest Redha Boudbagh (voice and Algerian and oud), kicked off the afternoon with some incredible music. Having collaborated with Saharawi musicians in several occasions in the past (they performed in the jam session at Sahara Nights and Karim has travelled to the Saharawi refugee camps), these musicians offered the audience the perfect musical set up for the day. We were all soon tapping our feet and clapping to the intricate melodies and uplifting rhythms of the classic Arabic and Andalusian music they were performing.

FILM: BEAT OF DISTANT HEARTS

Umm Deleila, Saharawi singer
featured in Beat of Distant Hearts

Danielle Smith, filmmaker, photographer, anthropologist and Sandblast Founding Director, travelled to the Saharawi refugee camps for the first time in 1991. From the very beginning her imagination was captured by the inspiring Saharawi culture and the powerful role the arts, especially the music and poetry, but also the newly developed painting style, had played during the revolution and the 16 years of war (1975-1991). She decided to film a documentary showcasing this part of the story and Beats of Distant Hearts, the Art of the Revolution in Western Sahara was born. Although filmed in 1996, it was not released until 2000. Twelve years later, the film is still relevant today as it shows how the Saharawi arts and culture continue to be the best way of reaching international audiences and raise awareness about the Saharawi situation. After the screening, there was a Q&A with the filmmaker.

JEWELLERY MAKING WORKSHOP
In 2007, French Florie Salnot, a design student from the London Metropolitan Art Media & Design was challenged by her professor to develop a design project that could benefit both a community and the environment. Inspired by a talk by Danielle Smith, she developed a unique craft technique using hot sand and plastic bottles, both available in the refugee camps, and taught it to twenty-one Saharawi women to re-discover an ancient tradition of creative expression of their cultural identity.

Danielle shows us the thin strip of plastic
she's cutting off a bottle. At the back,
Florie supervises another workshop attendant

The technique is the following: the plastic bottle is first painted and then cut into thin strips. After that, any type of pattern can be made by positioning nails into the holes of a nail board: the plastic strip is placed around the nails and the whole board is submerged into hot sand. The plastic strip reacts to the heat by shrinking to fit the nail drawing, and keeps its shape when removed. The piece of jewellery then requires a few last steps and fittings to become finished.

On Saturday, Florie gave a workshop at the V&A for the attendants of 'Out of the Sand'. In a couple of hours each of us created a small ring out of thin strips of golden plastic using small copper sticks to shape the pieces of jewellery; it was fascinating to see how an everyday plastic bottle can become something so pretty and decorative!

ARTS: Finally, Florie's product design projects

Spotted on MA Design Suite.com:

Florie Salno[t], Contribute to Saharawis empowerment through product design
December 4, 2009 

We are calling charity’s to get in touch. We are offering our exchange program as a  tool for research and generation of new ways and strategies within the creative industry but also the social layers of life and environment.

Contribute to Saharawis empowerment through product design.

Two years ago we invited Danielle Smith of Sandblast Arts charity (http://www.sandblast-arts.org) to visit us and launch a brief. This was part of our ‘export London’ mission. We are offering our program as a research and aid platform for non developed regions and sectors. This is coming from the belief in culture as a reviver and a generator.

A year later, Florie (one of our students working on this brief) together with Sandblast Arts travelled to the Sahara desert where the Saharawis refugees camps are…

‘To design a way to empower the Saharawis to produce some objects by utilizing the resources available in the camps.

The two aims:
-To enable the Saharawis to express themselves, their culture and identity which have been threatened by years of conflict with Morroco.
-Enable the Sahrarwis to generate an income.

For this project, I have developed:
-A technique to recycle plastic bottles
-Some tools
-Some samples of possible outcomes

Then, I gave shape to it by organising a workshop in the Saharawi refugee camp of Dakhla (Algerian desert), in April 2009.’

Read more from Florie Salno[t] and the Saharawis project outcome please visit http://floriesalnot-saharawis.blogspot.com/2009/04/personal-outcomes.html

FEATURE #1 "Florie Salnot"

Florie Salnot, or when discarded plastic bottles become fashion items

DESERTED on September 7th did not only showcase two important documentaries on the Western Sahara issue, the Saharamarathon 2009, but also "Plastic Bottle Project", a film clip made by Florie Salnot on the jewellery-making workshop she guided in the Sahrawi camps.

Florie Salnot and the plastic bottles she used in her workshops (c) by Olivia Mann

Florie Salnot, an MA student and fashion artist, introduced her jewellery-making workshop in the Sahrawi refugee camps and presented the jewellery results thereof with a wonderful documentary (see below), the "real things" and a personal testimonial that warmed everyone's hearts.

Florie did a postgraduate degree at the Royal College of Arts when she dediced to do a design project in the Sahrawi refugee camps by producing jewellery with little resources but greatly empowering consequences.

Sponsored by the Sandblast-founded Saharawi Artist Fund (SAF), Florie travelled to the refugee camps in Dakhla for three weeks in April 2009 to teach a group of Saharawi women to produce unique pieces of jewellery out of plastic bottles and hot sand. By using and recycling the discarded plastic bottles and forming them with hot sand into delicate pendants and earrings, Florie aims to give the Sahrawi women the possibility to express themselves artistically, to empower them economically, and to strengthen their cultural identity.

In the long run, these pieces will be exported from the camps and sold to generate a source of income for the Sahrawi.

As a key feature of the DESERTED event, Florie told the audience a wonderful little anecdote from her experience in the camps with the Sahrawi women:

"During my workshop in Dakhla, the most rewarding was to see the Saharawi women becoming gradually proud of their work. One day, in the workshop, we realised that one of the best piece of jewellery had been stolen. It was a really nice piece with red and yellow flowers which really impressed everyone. As for me, I was furious. The Saharawi women reacted differently, they just laugh at it. When I asked why, they explained that they were happy to see how their work was so much appreciated that it could be stolen."

Watch the short documentary Florie Salnot produced to introduce her jewellery-making workshop in the Sahrawi refugee camps in SW Algeria.

"Plastic bottle project" by Florie Salnot (Source: YouTube)

DESERTED - the story of a forgotten refugee nation

“DESERTED - a story of a forgotten refugee nation”: A Review

On September 7th, the Inspiral Lounge at Camden Lock thankfully provided the venue for our first September event in an effort to raise awareness for not only the Western Sahara issue but, more importantly, for the Saharamarathon 2010. As one of many events over the next three months, we want to reach as many people as possible to inform as well as solicit the registration for the Saharamarathon next February 2010 (for more information on upcoming events, check DON'T MISS THIS).

As part of the evening, three short films were showcased to introduce both the refugee situation with the documentary “DESERTED”, Florie Salnot's jewellery project , and an account of the Saharamarathon 2009.

Danielle Smith, founding director of Sandblast ((c) by Olivia Mann)

Accompanied and introduced by Danielle Smith, founding director of Sandblast, runners from the marathon in February 2009 shared the experiences, worries and personal stories with the audience: “the Sahrawi are hands-down the most hospitable people I've ever encountered” and “if you run, walk, or cheer, this experience is bound to change your perspective” are only a few of many testimonials shared by Gert, George, and many others.

We left Monday night with a notion of achievement and pockets full of names and numbers of those interested in learning more about the Saharamarathon 2010. If you find yourself wondering and wanting to join in, visit us at the upcoming events (see DON'T MISS THIS), contact us via email to info@sandblast-arts.org , or comment on this post.

See FEATURE #1 post for “Florie Salnot”

See FEATURE #2 post for “September Vigil: the ongoing tragedy of the Oxford Six”

For more information:

http://www.oliviamannphotography.com

http://floriesalnot.blogspot.com/