Hello All
This is let you know that I have just returned from Fez, Morocco,
a research trip primarily to explore the sense of smell in relation to Citrus,
the focus of my current ceramic and installation art practice.
Yes, I visited Hamza El Fasiki and Miriam Hicklin, and Yacoub of
course! This was as a direct result of Hamza’s cultural exchange
through the CARPET project (Tres Culturas), and Hamza having
a studio at Krowji right next to mine (in studio 29) during the last
Open Studios.
I had a go at the challenging brass patterning in Hamza’s
historic workshop (it had been his father’s). We explored the amazing
countryside (the Atlas Mountains, picnicking on bright Moroccan rugs, shaded
by tall cedar trees, served with ‘snacks’ and sweet mint tea, with
macaques begging for left-overs). We shopped in the Souk, of course.
We bought orange blossom (my trip was timed for the orange blossom to be in season)
and later, using beautiful copper distillation pots, Miriam taught me, so patiently,
the ritual of making perfumed water from the blossom, a process
traditionally performed by women working together.
Despite having largely funded this particular trip myself, it has opened wide some
exciting new doors, and I have a real sense of gratitude for what has led to this nourishing
experience, in particular to Krowji, to Creative Skills, to Tres Culturas, Cultivator, and
of course to Hamza, Miriam and the delicious Yacoub.
As a result of my trip, I hope my installation during Open Studios Cornwall will provide more of a
multi-sensory experience, I hope so much that you will visit!
28.04,2019 Lizzie Stevens
