The Wasp and the Weather
Commissioned by Contour 9 Biennale: Coltan as Cotton
The Wasp and the Weather takes a closer look at a collection of poems by youngsters from Rzoezie (Arabic word for “wasp”), a former youth center (1978-2006) in Mechelen (Belgium), which was founded and self-organized by youngsters of Moroccan and Amazigh descent.
The Wasp
Originally published in Rzoezie’s monthly print magazine, this collection of poems give voice to a (counter-)public imaginary that argues for a society of radical equality. An experience of tensions and feelings of uncertainty are gleaned from these poems, indicating racial discrimination in a hostile social environment.
The Weather
In what we can call the weather in a “white world”, antiblackness is pervasive as climate. How can the poems of The Wasp resonate in hostile weather? What is the space for and of this poetry? To write and read aloud a poem doesn’t need much material infrastructure, while each word can yield a new consciousness about the relations of subjects to one another and to their physical surroundings.
The Wasp and the Weather is a film, which will premiere at The Waning Crescent Moon Phase (October 18-20). A prologue to the film is composed of an archival installation and poetry readings, and will be presented during The Full Moon Phase (May 17-19).
produced by timely, coproduced by Spectre productions and Contour 9, supported by Darna – Flemish Moroccan culture house, BUDA arts centre Kortrijk, Arts in Society Award, M HKA and Amsab-ISG.
image caption: (1) Production image from The Wasp and the Weather, November 2018
