The Silences of the Palace, 1994

The Battle of Algiers, 1966

Our Dreams of Jasmine book launch, Saturday 15th July 2023
with Heidi and Halah El Kholy, Rita Kamale and Yasmeen Soudani.

20. Nizar Qabbani

Arab children,
Corn ears of the future,
You will break our chains,
Kill the opium in our heads,
Kill the illusions.
Arab children,
Don't read about our suffocated generation,
We are a hopeless case.
We are as worthless as a water-melon rind.
Dont read about us,
Dont ape us,
Dont accept us,
Dont accept our ideas,
We are a nation of crooks and jugglers.
Arab children,
Spring rain,
Corn ears of the future,
You are the generation
That will overcome defeat.

Collective Cyanotype Film with Kimia Collective

The making of; "An Ocean in Every Drop.
(2023) ...is made from fabric screen printed with imagery taken from the Spring Rain Collection cyanotypes. Repeated across the fabric the ephemeral becomes infinite with layouts inspired by old testament manuscripts and Abrahamic religious iconography. Every effort during the making process was made to make the work as sustainably as possible: recycling material, sourcing things locally and using environmentally friendly inks. These two works by El Mal are accompanied by a sound piece which was made alongside the screen printing process, the two works influencing the production rhythm and editing of each other. Taghounja (2023) draws out the musicality of the rain and its links between culture, spirituality and song. El Mal worked with musician Saad Elbaraka and Oud player Mohktar Hsina. The piece also includes a popular children's chant which wishes for the rain to come and sound sampled from Zeft (a 1984 film by Tayeb Saddiki) in particular the sound of the agricultural machinery, dialogue about rain, and the sound of rain.  The title of El Mal’s work An Ocean in Every Drop (2023) references the many hands that helped make the work, particularly Soufiane Ourich who worked with El Mal and others to build and work the large frames necessary to produce the work. For El Mal it is important to recognise that all her work is made within an interdependent community. The work for this exhibition has been made over two years, between Marrakech, Mhamid, Casablanca and Manchester, and engaged the skills, care and pleasure of many people within her community."