Darat Al Funun seeks submissions from artists of all disciplines for Lab projects

AMMAN — Darat Al Funun is accepting applications until December 31 from creative practitioners for its 2020 programme at its Lab in Amman.

The Lab offers a space for creatives from all disciplines (including artists, curators, architects, performers, filmmakers and designers) to experiment, develop their own practice and cultivate new ideas in projects that should run for 4-6 weeks, according to the Darat Al Funun website.

“I have several objectives with the programme at The Lab and this influences the selection process. One of them is the production of critical knowledge and critical discourses, the idea of decolonising artistic practice and discourse,” said Joud Halawani, the curator of The Lab, in an interview with The Jordan Times on Wednesday. 

The curator said another objective is “locating conversations within a Global South context” to move away from a conversation that is “Eurocentric and dominated by the West” and to make the space as inclusive and as diverse as possible.

“I am very much inspired by the ideas of African-American writers like Audre Lorde, who spoke about ‘no hierarchy of oppressions’ and about intersectionality, or bell hooks and her ideas on the pedagogy of freedom,” the curator noted.

She added that she tries to include a mix of artists from Amman and from outside Amman, including from Europe, Asia and Africa.

Halawani said that she is especially interested in projects that are socially and politically engaged and in cross-disciplinary exchange. 

“So, for example this year we had one talk between a sound artist and an architect and it was really interesting seeing how both introduce different perspectives on the same thing,” she explained.

The space has a glass facade and is directly in front of the street, functioning “almost like an extension of the street itself”, Halawani explained, noting: “The encounters not just amongst artists, but also with the people that happen to be passing by, are very interesting.”

Applications should be sent via e-mail in English or Arabic. More details can be found on the website daratalfunun.org, according to the organisers.