Map My City is a project led by Lina Meskine, architect and member of Global Shapers Rabat. It was developed following a 2021 opening call for cultural and artistic projects by the French Institute of Morocco.
The Map My city project aims at creating a large embroidered map. It is a subjective one, made by embroiderers, who highlight the places that are dear to their hearts and their understanding of the history of Rabat. One thing leading to another, the embroidered map invites us to look at the city through the eyes of its inhabitants, and in particular its female ones. The idea was to :
- tell the story of Rabat from the point of view of the youth;
- put an emphasis on Moroccan embroidery, which is also an activity fostering the economic emancipation and empowerment of women;
- encourage and initiate embroiderers to explore the narrative potential of embroidery;
- address issues related to the city and social inclusion; encourage the social appropriation of public space, particularly by women.
This project was carried out in collaboration with the embroidery school in Salé. It was financed and supported by the Cooperation and Cultural Action Department of the French Embassy in Morocco, in partnership with the Moroccan non-profit association Global Shapers Rabat. The project was initiated by Lina Meskine: "I wanted to explore issues related to the city through an artistic project. Sensitive and mental maps have always interested me: they tell the story of the city through an individual experience. This is Kevin Lynch's phenomenological approach to urban planning, which looks at the space lived and perceived by the inhabitants." - interview in AE Magazine. The project "Map My City" ends on 4 March.
Photo: copyrights AE Magazine.