Mur muur épars

Mur muur épars is a work inspired by graffiti, that typically urban form of expression in which the letters are so distorted as to be illegible to the uninitiated. You can decode ‘world’, ‘hope’, ‘amour’, ‘voix’, ‘life is a river in greek η ζωή είναι ποτάμι’... The interwoven words and phrases were collected, in several languages, during participatory workshops led in the neighbourhood with a wide range of people of all ages. The theme that brought us together was freedom, which was a natural choice for a project destinated to take permanent root in a square named after Nelson Mandela.

These words and phrases are written in this fresco not with paintspray, but with a combination of two textile techniques: weaving and knotting. The coloured ropes knotted and intertwined here become the symbol of the links that have been created and will be created tomorrow in this public space.

PROCESS OF THE MAKING OF THE FRAMES AND ROPES: WEAVING BY HAND AND PRODUCING THE ROPES ON AN INDUSTRIAL BRAIDING MACHINE. EVERY ROPE IS MADE OUT OF 16 BOBINS AND EACH BOBIN IS COMPOSED OF 10 VERY FINE YARNS THAT ARE ENROLLED ON THE BOBIN BEFORE INSTALLED ON THE BRAIDING MACHINE.

TO MAKE DIFFERENT PATTERNS, THE POSITION OF THE BOBBINS ON THE BRAIDING MACHINE HAS TO BE CHANGED.

RESEARCH

AQUAREL DRAWING OF THE PROPOSITION OF THE ARTWORK IN THE PUBLIC SPACE ON THE NELSON MANDELA PLACE AT WOLUWE SINT-LAMBERT, BRUSSELS.

The final work is composed of juxtaposed panels spaced to allow a glimpse of the landscape in the background; trees and foliage. The panels intermingle in space on different layers, playing with the graphic lines on the floor.

Participative workshops

Thanks to a collaboration with the local community, we organized three months of participatory research workshops.

With local residents, Arwsl students and Silex members, we exchanged, shared and created together around fundamental notions such as freedom and equality, exploring these themes through different textile techniques: we wrote and wove words on paper, drew, played with colors on looms and even made bobbin lace with ropes.

*Word in arab drawn by Nihel, 5TQA, ARWSL, Woluwe Saint-Lambert*

We discussed ABOUT WHAT MEANS FREEDOM & EQUALITY TO EACH OF US. AND we wrote, WE DREW, WE PAINTED, we wove, we played with yarns and colours through different techniques and materials.

UMUCO means Culture in Kinyarwanda. The word was drawn in two different styles, then cut into strips and woven back into paper.

The drawings are by Audace, from the high school ARSWL, Woluwe Saint-Lambert.

I translated these experiences into a fresco, conceived as a patchwork of words, sometimes illegible, reminiscent of the art of graffiti.

The words, inscribed in several languages, are like whispers, sometimes difficult to decode, and capture the essence of the exchanges and colorful atmospheres felt during our workshops.

BRAIDING MACHINE

First experimentations with different densities of yarns & patterns

Following: Exploring of different colour combinations through a knotting technique

STRUCTURE IS MADE OUT OF STEEL, THE WHOLE PROJECT HAS BEEN CHANGED DIFFERENT TIMES, AS THE FRAMES HAD TO BE FILLED WITH FRAMES AND TUBES, TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE TEXTILE & TO BE MORE SOLID.