The Living Room (Al-Madafeh)
The Mosaic Rooms announces The Living Room (Al-Madafeh), the new event series for the exhibition Stateless Heritage by DAAR – Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti. It is inspired by The Living Room (Al-Madafeh) in the exhibition, a space of conviviality and generosity in the spirit Dheisheh refugee camp’s culture, for people to meet, discuss ideas and create solidarity. The programme of online and in person events features artists, activists, collectives and thinkers who expand on the themes of the exhibition. There are conversations around subjugated forms of heritage, statelessness, activism in architecture and resistance to contemporary forms of colonial oppression.
The programme launches with DAAR – Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti in residency in The Living Room (Al-Madafeh). Throughout the exhibition Omar Hmidat will host weekly Sunday drop-ins just as he used to gather people when he lived in Dheisheh refugee camp.
In other events Danah Abdulla and Sarona Abuaker will introduce a new game to develop ideas around Palestinian futures. Jad Tabet and Laura Searson lead a discussion on world heritage. Emilio Distretti discusses other modes of heritage thinking and making. Mahmood Mamdani will speak about the difference between historical and colonial constructions of immigrant, settlers, native.
A series of workshops will unravel notions of statelessness, community heritage and challenge immigration politics. Failed Architecture will explore strategies to re-appropriate heritage erased by nationalist ideas. Migrants in Culture will lead two design workshops on challenging the Government’s new immigration bill. Okra Studio discuss resistance with residents and activists from South London’s Central Hill Estate which awaits demolition. Learn how to make Afghan kites with Ahmadzia Bakhtyari. Khaled Malas and Nadine Fattaleh’s three-day workshop is based on talismanic objects collected by Palestinian physician Tawfiq Canaan. Learn about rituals and make your own talisman with Jumana Emil Aboud.
Discussions will shed light on architecture in relation to activism and heritage. Sofia Karim‘s An Architecture of Disappearance illustrates the cases of political prisoners she campaigns for. Noora Aljabi, Arinjoy Sen and Léopold Lambert discuss architecture in contested landscapes. In partnership with the Architecture Foundation we present a series of three discussions Stateless Heritage, Restoration as Resistance and Architectural Models and the Refugee Camp. Speakers include DAAR – Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti, Dana Abbas, AAU Anastas, Anita Bakshi, Corinna Gardner, Wafa Hourani, Stephan Mörsch, Robert Mull, Adrian Lahoud and Dima Srouji.
New projects in music, language and performance address notions of belonging and alliances. A listening session with Sound Advice explores sound and solidarity. Mo’min Swaitat will pre-launch the first Majazz release with The Intifada EP based on a 1987 cassette, and presents monthly Palestinian tape selections. Murat Adash investigates questions of non-belonging in a new, all-day performance. Discover the friendship of vernacular Turkish and Palestinian Arabic, in a storytelling workshop with Ulufer Çelik and Alaa Abu Asad.
Diana Allan and contributors Salman Abu Sitta, Lena Jayyusi and Mahmoud Zeidan discuss their new book Voices of the Nakba. Join a monthly Palestine book club, initiated by Gentle/Radical. Karim Kattan will lead a writing workshop to explore political situations through the horror genre. Writer and activist from Gaza, Nayrouz Qarmout will be in residence at The Mosaic Rooms in autumn 2021, in a writing residency in collaboration with English PEN.
A monthly film programme features fictional and documentary pieces on statelessness, resilience, archaeology, threatened ecosystems and ecofeminist resistance. It includes films by Dima Srouji and Marwa Arsanios as well as collaborations with Temporary Art Platform Beirut and London Migration Film Festival.
Families can explore the exhibition with an activity guide by artist Jumana Hokan and join monthly family fun workshops around creative play, led by artist Elias Matar.
The programme is supported by:
Image: The Living Room. Design by Marwan Kaabour. Courtesy of the artist.