Culture Vultures Fez

Boulevard Festival Young Musicians Call out!

jessiculture — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:16:12 +0000

Boulevard des jeunes musiciens (also L’Boulvard) is a yearly held music festival organized in Casablanca, Morocco that is also a competition aiming to reward the best formation in its own category. The festival first edition was held in 1998 when it was called Tremplin des Jeunes Musiciens de Casablanca (Springboard of the Young Musicians of Casablanca).

Boulevard 2012

This call out for candidates is dedicated to young Moroccan musicians. Under the eyes and ears of the public and media musicians are asked to audition on the stage, giving young musos the opportunity perform live under professional settings and meet the music professionals, artists, programmers and producers.

Every year, over 150 groups or solo artists and all styles from all over the country are subject to the opinion of the jury. Since its launch in 1999, more than 400 auditions have taken place on the stage of The Stepping Stone Boulevard.
Applications should submit under one of the four categories (Rap / Hip-hop Rock / Metal and Fusion), and include a sample audio for the jury to review.
Applications may be submitted inCasablanca, Mohammedia,Rabat, Marrakech, Agadir, Tangier,Fez and Meknes.
The deadline for submissions is Wednesday 29 February 2012.

For more information see http://www.boulevard.ma/

Al Andaluz influences on current Fassi artists.

jessiculture — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:00:38 +0000

The Institute Cervantes (Spanish Institute) organizes an exhibition of work by 6 Fassi artists who draw their influences from Al Andaluz. Works by Najib Ghissassi, Mohamed Filali Fakir, Abdelali Belal, Najat Khatib, Abdel Karmane and Abdel Rhorbal will be presented in the Cervantes Gallery from the 26^th of January until mid March.

Abdelkader Rhorbol

For more information see http://fez.cervantes.es

Jazz, Contemporary Classic and Arab music fusion.

jessiculture — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:47:28 +0000

Jasser Haj Youssef

Presented by the French Institute, the Tunisian musician Jasser Haj Youssef will perform with his quartet this coming Tuesday at Dar Batha. He works on a fusion between Arab music, contemporary classical and Jazz, Youssef will play an eclectic repertoire though the influence of Jazz is prominent in his improvisational pieces he performs with this beloved viola.

Dar Batha, Tuesday 24^th January 7.pm.

Visual Artists Residency Call out

jessiculture — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:16:24 +0000

DAR AL-MA’MÛN – International residency center for artists and literary translators in Marrakesh

Call for application – Fourth session VISUAL ARTS

Project presentation and residency purpose
Dar al-Ma’mûn is an artists residency located in the Ourika green valley, near Marrakech, Morrocco. Dar al-Ma’mûn brings a wealth of cultural activities : art residencies, a library specialized in humanities with entrances in literary, poetry, aesthetics and in art history in Arabic, French and English, a literary translation research centre, cultural and educational activities for children and adults.

Dar Al Ma'Mum

Specificities

Dar al-Ma’mûn is aimed at artists of all nationalities (French and English speaking). We strongly encourage African artists to apply. Furthermore, we open from this session two additional workshops for artists of the Arab World (MENA: Middle East and North Africa). Therefore we urge artists from following countries to apply : Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, UAE, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Sudan, Syria, Palestine, Tunisia and Yemen.

Dar al-Ma’mûn is open to artists of all practices in visual arts: drawing, painting, sculpture, video, photography, performance.

During the artist’s stay, committee members will be invited to individual visits to the workshops. Our workshop visiting program will feature art professionals added with personalized invitations to curators, art critics and heads of international institutions. Our goal is to establish a long-term relationship with the artists. We will study with them the possibilities of presenting and
distributing their works in Morocco and abroad at the end of the session.

Length of stay

Dar al-Ma’mûn is a yearly permanent artistic residency. This fourth session will run from three to five months starting May 2012.

Budget

During their residency, the six selected artists will benefit from a return flight to Marrakesh, single accommodation on site, meals included and a 100 square meters workshop. The shipping costs will be settled by us.
The artists receive a production grant of 5,000 euros per person, attributed progressively according to production expenditures.

Literary translation practices are not affected by this call for applications: for this field, please contact the team at library@dam-arts.org or sign up for our newsletter that will keep you informed of future programs.

To be eligible, applicants must pre-submit on the website: http://www.dam-arts.org/.

Deadline for receipt of applications
Monday, March 5, 2012 – 11 pm (Moroccan)

Email : residency@dam-arts.org

Cinema in Fez…wait…she’s still alive.

jessiculture — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:39:56 +0000

Just when you though cinema in Fez was on the way to the cemetery there is a pulse…a glimmer of hope. The French Institute has recently collaborated with Cinema Rex to present their film program in the dark salon in the cinema. Sit back on a red velvet seat and let your self be swept away.

A film by Michel Hazanavicius

This season’s program starts on Wednesday the 18^th of January at 7 p.m. with the 2011 film The Artist by Michel Hazanavicius based around a movie star inHollywood in 1927.

Join the French Inst on Facebook to keep informed of their cultural program http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002064234330

International artists wanted to link with Moroccan artists. mmmmmm

jessiculture — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:21:23 +0000

And’Art Casablanca 2012 Callout

Terre Sans Frontière
Presents
And’Art 2012

a piece from AND'ART

And’Art (referring to views in Arabic) is an annual artistic cultural platform based in Morocco between International Artists, Film Makers and Musicians.

These events are held in different cities across Morocco to give our participants a chance to express their views and identities around the immediate environment.

They are looking for:

A range of International musicians to collaborate with Moroccan Musicians.
International artists to work on a collaborative project and to produce individual works for a final exhibition. Artists from different backgrounds are welcome to apply, i.e. Illustrators, textile artists, graphic designers as well as painters, wall-mural artists and sculptors.
Film makers and VJs to collaborate to produce a short film to coincide with the music on the day of the festival. This will be based on your views from the local environment.
Film makers/photographers to document the event. The photographers will also have the opportunity to collaborate to make a series of photographs for a final exhibition.
Sound and lighting engineers and technicians to collaborate with their equivalents.

Our fourth edition will take place in:

Casablanca, 20th – 31st March 2012

Deadline for all applications is: 27th January 2012 at 17:00

To find out more about previous residencies/festivals please visit: www.terresansfrontiere.org

To apply please send your artist’s CV detailing instruments played or artistic practice with a short letter of interest and examples of work (websites, relevant links to works, mp3 or no more than 5 images) to terresansfrontiere@gmail.com. Please note that the programme of events will not be released until participants have been selected and notified. We only accept applications by email.

If you would like to receive further information about forthcoming events please join our mailing list atterresansfrontiere@gmail.com

Fez Sacred Music Festival 2012

jessiculture — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:52:17 +0000

The Fes Festival of World Sacred Music is one of the signature events of the Spirit of Fes Foundation. The aim of this Festival is to harness the arts and spirituality in the service of human and social development, and the relationship between peoples and cultures.

The 18th Festival takes place from 8-16 June 2012 with the theme ‘Re-enchanting the World’ and pays special tribute to the great Persian poet, Omar Khayyam.

Wake! For the Sun, who scatter’d into flight
The Stars before him from the Field of Night,
Drives Night along with them from Heav’n, and strikes
T’he Sultans Turret with a Shaft of Light.

Before the phantom of False morning died,
Methought a Voice within the Tavern cried,
”When all the Temple is prepared within,
“Why nods the drowsy Worshipper outside?”

And, as the Cock crew, those who stood before
The Tavern shouted-”Open then the Door!
”You know how little while we have to stay,
“And, once departed, may return no more.”

Now the New Year reviving old Desires,
The thoughtful Soul to Solitude retires,
Where the WHITE HAND OF MOSES on the Bough
Puts out, and Jesus from the Ground suspires.

Iram indeed is gone with all his Rose,
And Jamshyd’s Sev’n-ring’d Cup where no one knows;
But still a Ruby kindles in the Vine,
And many a Garden by the Water blows.

And David’s Lips are lockt; but in divine
High-piping Pehlevi, with “Wine! Wine! Wine!
”Red Wine!”-the Nightingale cries to the Rose
That sallow cheek of hers to incarnadine.

Come, fill the Cup, and in the fire of Spring
Your Winter-garment of Repentance fling:
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To flutter-and the Bird is on the Wing.

Whether at Naishapur or Babylon,
Whether the Cup with sweet or bitter run,
The Wine of Life keeps oozing drop by drop,
The Leaves of Life keep falling one by one.

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam – Translated by Edward FitzGerald

The Fes Festival explores the vast repertoire of music and rhythms created across the globe since the dawn of time. The programme for this year is yet to be released.

Fes Festival site http://www.fesfestival.com/2012/index_en.html

Culture…double recharge this weekend.

jessiculture — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:14:28 +0000

: Beguentch Gueldyev

The French Institute will host two cultural events this weekend, ( 13th and 14th of January) . Beguentch Gueldyev, Russian pianist, made his debut performance at the age of 7! Having spent time as piano professor in Moscow he now shares the same profession in Rabat and continues to perform chamber concerts in orchestras and as a soloist. Don’t miss this rare opportunity ar Dar Batha at 7 p.m. this Friday.

Beguentch Gueldyev in Tunisia.

Mustafa Chafik, arts practitioner and fine arts professor in Casablanca has exhibited extensively since 1994. His works include painting, installation and video. Chafik is known for his circular paintings made using a painting aparatus based on a street-vending, candy floss machine. This procedure invites the audience to enjoy the production process. The paintings are forms of vortices of biological clock or concentric circles such as mandalas.

Chafiks Biological Clock.

In this case Chafik will be exhibiting an installation piece for the following month at the French Institutes gallery space in the new town. The show titled Biological Clocks/ Les Horloges Biologiques opens on Saturday the 14^th at 6.30 p.m.

For more information see www.institutfrancaisfes.com

Open Call – Artists Travel Grants. Europe / Morocco

jessiculture — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:03:54 +0000

The Roberto Cimetta Fund is launching an open call for travel grants from 1st to 31st January 2012 in the framework of two partnerships with Guimarães 2012 European Capital of Culture and with Marseille-Provence, European Capital of Culture 2013.

The RCF/Guimarães 2012 fund is open to artists and cultural operators in all artistic disciplines from the Euro-Mediterranean-Arab region[1] whose travel project will take place between Guimarães and the Euro-Mediterranean-Arab region and/or in relation to a project linked to Guimarães 2012. Priority will be given to projects in music, performing arts, cinema, visual arts, design and architecture, preferably in the framework of a residency.

The RCF/Marseille-Provence 2013 fund is open to artists and cultural operators from the Euro-Mediterranean-Arab region whose travel project will take place from a country of the South and East coasts of the Mediterranean to another country of that same zone or from a country of the South and East coasts of the Mediterranean to Europe, preferably other than France. Only in exceptional cases will mobility from a European country to a country of the South or East coasts be considered; the same applies for mobility linked to countries of the Arabian Gulf. The aim of the trip needs to be linked to the Marseille Provence 2013 project and/or the area of Marseille Provence 2013 (which extends from Arles to La Ciotat through the Pays d’Aix).

If you want to apply, please visit the Roberto Cimetta Fund’s website as from 1^st January and fill in the contact form on the website www.cimettafund.org. The appropriate application form will be sent to you. Please fill it in and return it to grant@cimettafund.org before 31st January. For more information on the Guimarães 2012 project, please check the following website www.guimaraes2012.pt. For more information on the Marseille-Provence 2013 project, please visit www.marseille-provence2013.fr

Pop Up Art Shop Fez Revival….

jessiculture — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 22:05:08 +0000

Pop Up Art Shop – Fez medina, December 2011

Pop Up Art Shop Fez

Jess Stephens and Culture Vultures once again venture into the ancient medina ofFez providing an explosion of visual arts and activities under the concept of a small pop up art shop. What, for the rest of the year is an indiscrete hanout on Talla k’bira selling random items such a football posters, plastic shoes and processed meat turns into a contemporary pop up art shop, for two weeks only.

Five artists are on the galleries showcase, three from Fez, ( Omar Chennafi, Mohammed Charcaoui and Hisham Tazi), one from Catalunya (Omar Lula) and Jess who is originally from Wales UK. Mediums cover photography, calligraphy, graffiti and jewellery; all fired and inspired by their immediate surroundings. All art works are for sale.

pop up art shop plan Fez

This vibrant venture is enhanced and spiced up by the provision of a silent disco by sponsor Plan-it Fez …inspiring your stay. A handful of wireless headphones tuned into the dance/funk set, boom out only to those wearing them, whilst to all those around not a beat is heard. The silent disco takes place at the pop up from 18^th to the 31^st of December, from 5 – 6 p.m. every day. Don’t miss out on being part ofFez medinas pioneering arts projects.

From Boujloud pass the Bouanania madrassa on you left, go through the tunnel and walk a few minutes along the street of artisanal products, the last hanout of that strip of shops on the right hand side is where you will come across this pop up venture that opens from 10 – 6 p.m. until the last day of 2011.

culture.vulture1@rocketmail.com

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