Dar Slimane Marrakech مراكش : Tableaux November to January 2022 - 23

In the later stages of the residency, Dar Slimane project director Aziz Nahas indicated a site for the required artwork. I had seemed to pass by the electric station for the water system irrigation and amazingly not registered it as a site for potential, however it was a perfect location, widely visible and close to the residential areas. It would be a good place for a mural ('tableaux', as Adil, art residency co-ordinator first described it) being in the shade for most of the day (primarily north facing). Priming the wall white, I began work exactly at the same time the irrigation system was being installed and seedlings being planted, so working directly alongside the garden workers throughout each day of making.

There was a degree of urgency as the timeline for the tableaux was inside the last three weeks of the residency, plus my final tour to Essaouira had already been scheduled allowing only days to plan, prepare, paint and varnish. Of course, weather conditions are consistent and very helpful with strong light and dry conditions. Two coats of the various acrylics were applied, beginning with an orange line to act as a drawing line for the colour areas, applied around a pencil scale up of the design. 

Permaculture irrigation installation alongside: sound of water ..

The design was remarkably quick to make and I think on reflection that all the preceding work made at the residency and the tours were a kind of grand assimilation for this final act. It arrived straight away without deliberation or development. I had seen a corbal fragment in the Musee de l'Histoire et des Civilisations at Rabat two weeks before on which the design had a distinctive and stylish interlocking linear design. I liked it instantly and registered its form. Significant in context, as the fragment was from the Koutoubia Tower at Marrakech, the 70m 12th century large scale minaret that overlooks Djemaa el-Fna and western side of the Medina, so in a way in making this tableaux, bought the design back to (near) home. 

Various architectural features were included here, ornamental designs and arches to hold onto the main design element. The work is flat, geometric and linear, to enable an area of saturated colour to be delimited against another so creating maximum interaction and therefore dynamic. I recollected Matisse and Tanger, the Hotel de Ville and figurative elements that permeate his work made from the windows of the hotel. Above all features of the buildings of Morocco permeated alongside the Koutoubia fragment. Colour, of course drives the work and these recognisable forms melt under the design function of saturated colour interaction. 

The eight star Hatim architectural feature is typical and wide spread in Moroccan architecture both in stone and tile work. It is one of the keystone design elements of Zellige decorative design generally being highly adaptable and extendable into further more intricate configurations, particularly in ceramic wall tiles as architectural component. The archetypal design is always a repeat pattern, instantly recognisable; as an Islamic design element Zellige combines unified order with an infinite, all embracing philosophical and cosmological character. 

The tableaux as complete looked very good and well received by the team and family at Dar Slimane. Vibrant colour, discrete yet powerful in amongst the hive of activity in the construction of the water irrigation system for the permaculture growing system, the garden greenery, land and location generally. From distance it stands jewel like and bright. I like the size of the wall that the tableaux is on with its solid concrete construction of an almost block like form situated in the garden, right close to the reed pond. As with all exterior made work, it is impossible to view separate from the surroundings and this tableaux was made, and remains as, a site specific artwork.