A.MAL collective exhibited Red Gold at the P21 gallery in London - the culmination of a five month residency myself and four other artists from North Africa and the diaspora participated in, using red algae species to explore wider sustainability relations between the Global North and South.
Red algae species are being heavily exploited due to demand from the Global North where agar (extracted from red algae) is used in pharmaceuticals, the food industry and fabrics. They are often described as ‘sustainable’ alternatives, yet as a result their existence is now threatened. Together we explored the algae as a material, and also the social and economical factors threatening it.
I made 2 films over the course of the residency which were exhibited - The Animals, the Plant and the Stranger, and From the Shores of Al Jadida - a collaboration with Elodie Sacher and Younes El Hossaini (of 560Zoom) alongside film, photography, and audio pieces by Sabrina Mumtaz Hasan, Ismail Zady, and Fatima Zohraserri - curated by Jessica El Mal.
With support from Arts Council England and The British Council of Morocco.
