A press conference was held yesterday morning in Ennajma Ezzahra, Sidi Bou Said, to present the contemporary art event “from hill in hill” which will take place next March, on three Tunisian hills.
In collaboration with the Goethe Institute, the European Union, and the association “24 hours for contemporary art”, Tunisian and foreign artists will occur for 24 hours in three different places: Sidi Bou Said (Tunis), Takrouna (Enfidha), and Chenini (Tataouine).
This large -scale event, made by and for citizens will bring together more than twenty Tunisian, Mediterranean and European artists.
The demonstrations will take place on March 9 and 10, 2013 in Sidi Bou Said, on 16 and 17 in Takrouna, and 23 and 24 in Chenini
This first edition of in-situ artistic actions has the concept of life on the heights, its advantages, constraints and specificities.
Ms. Faten Rouissi, president of the association “24h for contemporary art” first talked about the genesis of the project: how do you live when you are perched a hill? .
“The more we take height, the further we see” but it is enough to win a few heights for there to be a deep creation or thought? By organizing this event, the association “24h PAC affirms with force its desire to integrate social space as a place and partner of creation. The avowed goal being to encourage and ensure an opening towards universal artistic practices”.
She then explained the objectives of this artistic and cultural event: it is a question of valuing the sector of contemporary art in Tunisia, which, unlike the classical arts such as theater, music or cinema, sorely lacks supports, to promote the culture of proximity to civil society and the local public, to promote exchanges between national and international artists and to touch the inhabitants of the deep regions which very rarely to attend artistic shows.
The concept of this event consists in deploying various works and artistic activities on the heights of the three hills mentioned, for 24 hours in a row, by integrating citizens as much as possible in the process of creation or installation.
In each of the three localities, a group of teachers and students from the Fine Arts schools are invited to design a work in connection with the project, the objective being to associate local artists with the event.
Funds were raised with the collaboration of Goethe Insitute, the European Union and the Ministry of Culture and the Protection of Heritage. The localities also supported the project.
The artists who will perform through their works will have the opportunity to exhibit both their universe and their personal vision of a place familiar to visitors. In the long list of artists, we have drawn some names like Raja Ben Ammar, Rachida Amara, Sana Tamzani, Souad Man, Selim Ben Cheikh, Amira Chalbi, but also, the Ahl Al Kahf collective, alternative art group, Mojtaba Amini, Iranian plastic artist, or Helmut and Johanna Kandi, Austrian installers…
Among the Tunisian artists known by the public, there is Mounir Troudi, musician, singer, performer,. He has been working on Bedouin and Soufi identity for 12 years which he merged with contemporary universes of jazz, electronic music, hip hop. We interviewed him, here is his vision of things.
