WeMakeThe.City
In the city of Amsterdam theoretical questions of cultural identity seem obsolote when you walk down its streets. One thing becomes immediatly clear: The city and its people have put theory into practice even before it became theory. Diversity is not an empty keyword but the very spirit that animates the city from within. An open mindset, free of prejudice and limiting borders is inherent in the city's social fabric and its actors, the citizens of Amsterdam. We know: Amsterdam is diverse, but how diverse are we? In order to put our thoughts into practice we welcome everyone in the house and garden of the Goethe-Institut Amsterdam into the hidden beauty of this historical place and take the chance to become more inclusive ourselves, offering the free space the whole city should be.
During the day artists talks and presentations are scheduled, with local and international artists who think through art about topics of freedom, constructions of cultural identity and the challenge of truly sharing an experience and perspective in order to embrace diversity as an enrichment, and not as a threat. The presented works of the artists pose the question of how to intervene and promote an understanding of the city that is not static but thrives from its potential and dynamic reality of different cultures growing and building a home together whilst caring for each other.
The Italian artist duo
Bianco-Valente and urban planner
Fabio Landolfo took the chance to develop an artistic intervention from an outsider perspective whilst exploring Amsterdam during their residencies here. Fascinated by the duality of body and soul, Bianco-Valente's work deals with science, astrology and literature. In videos and interactive installations, they explore linguistic, spatial and social relationships and processes. They will present their artistic work consisting of a collage of flags and a cinematic intervention about the state and practice of diversity in Amsterdam.
Yara Said is a Syrian visual artist based in the Netherlands. She received her education at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Damascus, where she graduated in 2014. Yara is now enrolled in the Fine Art Department at the Sandberg Institute. As a result of personal experience, she is aiming to connect art with social development. By immersing herself in disciplines such as politics, psychology, sociology, and theology, she endeavors to pinpoint the position of artists in society and the perception of that same society on artists.
With this goal in mind, the
Salwa Foundation was established, initiated by Yara. Salwa is a platform for artists, designers and creative thinkers who want to study or work in the Netherlands and are looking for support in finding their way and building their network. They offer practical insight into other professionals' creative career paths and guidance in creating or reconstructing a professional portfolio. Named after Yara's grandmother, Salwa is a name for girls in Arabic. Salwa means: "consolation", "that which brings happiness", "something that makes you forget your sadness and worries".
Jawa Manla (1996) is a Syrian oud player. She was born in Aleppo, and I grew up in Damascus (Syria) and started playing music at the age of eleven. She chose the oud instrument because her father used to play it every day at home when she was young. Gradually, she fell in love with it and now feels now an unlimited feeling of freedom while playing it.
Since June 2015, she is based in the Netherlands and currently studies at the Codarts University of the Arts in order to continue her musical education which started from a young age with prestigious international musicians and institutions.
She will perform with her trio
Qasyoun* which was established in 2014 in Cairo (Egypt). The trio consists of the two Syrian sisters
Jawa Manla (oud) and
Shaza Manla (qanoun) and Syrian percussion player
Modar Salama. Jawa established Qasyoun after many successful concerts in Egypt, and Shaza had been taking very professional music lessons with the Egyptian qanoun player Saber Abdul Sattar. Jawa and Shaza played the oriental Arabic music such as Om Kalthoum, Mohamed Abdul Wahab, Mohamed Al Asbgy and many other great musicians, as well as traditional Syrian and Turkish music with new arrangements. The first appearance of Qasyoun was for the BBC radio in Cairo in April 2015.
In June 2015 the sisters came to The Netherlands where they played with other musicians and with many orchestras like the Nederlands Blazers Ensemble. After that, Shaza and Jawa became known as the Syrian sisters or Manla sisters, and they decided to re-establish their band under the same name, Qasyoun. The first TV appearance of Qasyoun in the Netherlands was at the well-known musical TV-show
Vrije Geluiden, where they played with the Iraqi percussion player Latif Al Obaidi. After that, the sisters met with the Syrian percussion player Modar Salmah and together they played in many festivals like World Blend Café, Grachtenfestival, Haarlemmer Houtfestival, Incubate, Women Unlimited, and in Rasa and Splendor.
*Qasyoun is the famous mountain overlooking the Syrian capital, Damascus, where the Manla sisters grew up. Qasyoun is an image that links between beauty and strength. When the two sisters play together, they imagine the mountain and their home land in their minds.
Schedule:
- 12:30-13:30: presentation and Q&A with Bianco-Valente & Fabio Landolfo
- 14:00-15:00: presentation and Q&A with Yara Said
- 15:30-16:30: concert Qasyoun* Band
WeMakeThe.City i.s.m. o.a. het Goethe-Institut Niederlande.
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