_{International Encounters}
Friche La Belle de Mai

Salle Seita📍

2:00_^pm And a bold world (32’)

“Sleep in peace when day is done, that’s what I mean
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me” (N. S.)

*content warning: some works contain references to racism / homophobia / sexual aggression

Salle Seita📍

3:15_^pm How long must we sing this song ? (46’)

“Oh I can’t close my eyes
And make it go away
How long ?
How long must we sing this song ?” (U2)

*content warning: some works contain references to war / suicide 

Salle Seita📍

4:30_^pm Our Video Poetic Friendships: Cairo Video Festival (60’)

“The Medrar team was delighted by the generous invitation extended by Instants Video to participate in the next edition with a programme; a video poetic friendship indeed. The titles we selected for the slot give a glimpse into the practice of Cairo Video Festival, an event held annually in Cairo by Medrar for Contemporary Art. The titles aim to reflect the formalistic and conceptual playfulness of CVF, while at the same time providing an alternative perspective to the everyday lives of a multitude of cultures and regions; a perspective only attainable by the art of video. We look forward to the screening of the titles and the rich discussion that would surely follow.”

Tour Panorama 3e étage📍

6:00_^pm Opening of the exhibition

from october 20th 2023 to january 14th 2024
Poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity
We borrowed our title from Audre Lorde, a self-proclaimed black woman, lesbian, mother warrior and poet. This statement resonates when we come into contact with 21 video installations that discuss the metamorphosis of our everyday lives, starting from the interstices, the detours, the experiences and much more. In this way, we invite you to step away from the straight and narrow to explore the deviations and to lose yourself in the sometimes bittersweet view of the proposals of these artists who never give up. Let’s live the insurrection against the given….the deployment of our imaginations… the reinvention of our languages… our dreams of survival.

Tour Panorama 3e étage📍

7:00_^pm Performance by Sarah Violaine : Tassaout (15′)

“Tassaout” (a Moroccan river that rises in the High Atlas and flows through the village where the poetess was born) is an installation that evokes the free and sensual spirit of Mririda N’aït Attik, a courtesan and poetess in the High Atlas in the 1940s. A “room” with surfaces covered in blue fabric, revealing a central space inhabited by the ghostly presence of this rebellious woman of her time. “She writes her poems on the weft of the wind”. It’s a space where you can guess, glimpse and search with your eyes. The installation features a world of sound and video and is open to the public for an indefinite period. You are invited to wander through the installation and let the sound, light and breeze carry you away. A live poetry reading (+ sound and video projections) will then take place. With a nod to the imaginary world of the Peep Show, the space suddenly comes to life in a bold and raw way. Hitherto vaporous and almost silent, it becomes a screen and a space for a reminiscence of Mririda N’aït Attik. > Website

Salle Seita📍

8:30_^pm I buy a world where everyone wins (47’)

“I buy a castle in Spain
I buy a world where everyone wins
In the end” (Z.)

*content warning: a work contain references to sexual acts

Salle Seita📍

9:45_^pm I can see the senses flow (46’)

“I have to keep my distance
I can see the senses flow
They all enter the trans
They all go up in smoke” (DDD)

*content warning: some works contain references to war / bloody images