During our “DAMJ” project, which is part of the Youth-Led Initiatives program under the All-Around Culture initiative, we gained a deeper understanding of the importance of the human factor and the precarious state of artisanal practices. These practices are endangered due to their lack of attractiveness to the youth and the absence of schools that can transmit this knowledge that has been traditionally passed down orally from master to student. The traditional way of learning has been deemed outdated and lacking in modern pedagogy.

Throughout our 2 years of research and work on the ground, we realized the significance of these traditional ways, and more importantly, how these artisanal practices are on the brink of disappearing. Our project, “DAMJ,” is in resonance with the recent agreement signed between Morocco and UNESCO in late November 2022, which aims to promote knowledge transfer in the handicraft industry by granting master craftsmen the title of “Living Human Treasures” and encouraging them to share their knowledge and skills with the younger generation. Our project, therefore, has a broader impact that resonates through institutional agreements, highlighting the same issues we identified during our project.

Another issue we encountered during our project was the high rate of suicide in the city of Chefchaouen, which has the highest rate of suicide in Morocco despite being a popular tourist destination. This paradox could be explained by environmental and economical factors; pushing one to question the dynamics between the center and the periphery and how Morocco (and many other States) invest much more in the economical centres while neglecting the margins. We organized an art-artisanal residency and public program around the exhibition “Artery of Spaces” to raise awareness of this scourge and inform the public.

“(c) Youssef El Idriss, “ON SPACES & SPECIES 4’7″ is a multidisciplinary approach that intends to question the center-periphery and psyche-space relations. The mediums used are #poetry, #generative visuals and #fieldrecording of atmospheres and interviews. These interviews has been used as a participatory narrative where the poem and their ideas can intersect and form one unified line of flight.”