With rugs unfurled
part II of “The Magic Carpet Project”
With Rugs Unfurled is a self-produced 20-minute documentary about the social relations surround artisan rug production in Morocco. From the mounting of the handspun wool on the loom to the haggling over rugs in a high end bazaar, this film shows the long road Moroccan rugs take from the weaver to the dealer, and the contradictions and traditions that emerge as the rug changes hands.
Le film s'intéresse à l'état de l'artisanat des tapis dans le Nord du Maroc et à la vie des travailleurs qui en assurent la création et la circulation. La pression des produits d'imports, le marché touristique et le désintérêt culturel sont autant de facteurs qui mettent en danger le savoir-faire traditionnel du tissage des tapis de laine. Au-delà de l'intérêt patrimonial, le film permet d'ouvrir la réflexion sur les conditions socio-économiques et sur les rapports de genre dans cette industrie.
With Rugs Unfurled, or "wa zarabi mabthutha", takes its title from the Qur’an’s Surah Ghashiyah, verse 16, where it describes the paradise to come. Zarbiya (pl. zarabi, Arabic) is almost uniquely used in North Africa to describe rugs, though the word appears in the Arabic of the Qur’an. North African zarabi, such as those made in Morocco, are folded rather than rolled. As they circulate from weaver to washer, from buyer to seller to buyer, they are folded and unfolded again. In this circulation, zarabi take on new meanings for the hands that unfold them. What happens to these meanings after the next fold? The pressure of an increasingly international and touristic market as well as general cultural disinterest for the traditional craft has led to a situation where the savoir-faire of wool rug-making is declining. With Rugs Unfurled traces the circulation of these rugs in Morocco, and opens up reflects]ions on socio-economic conditions of craft workers and gender division of labor in traditional industries.
Directed & Produced by: George Bajalia & Tom Casserly
Editor: Hugo Massa
Director of Photography: Ben Derico
On-Location Sound: Jesse Bowman
Additional Cinematography & Audio Recording: Hugo Massa
Additional Editing & Title Design: Ben Derico
Color Correction & Grading: Paul Galati
Audio Mix: Jesse Bowman
Executive Producers:
Mark Hannoun, Rugs from Morocco
George Bajalia & Tom Casserly
Featuring:
Aziz Amraoui
Mark Hannoun
Ahmed Arryan
Adil Marouani
Ito Bouaaraar
Lakbira Benazzouz
With Support From:
The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events 3Arts Program
The Department of Anthropology at Columbia University
Center for the Study of Ethnicy and Race, Columbia University
Janet Murphy Heather Gilbert
Austin Perry Maryam Jamdishi
Sandra Ossi Nadine Salem
Elaine Salem Ray Driver
Susan and Jack Raine Pam Murray
Corol Hammell Macky Weaver
George A. Bajalia Diane Salem Bajalia
Bill Koch Jason Fraier
Joseph Seay Gene Curtin
Lisa Roberts Taylor Smith
Shadia Salem Julie Stagliano
Barbara Whitman Jesse Bowman
Marcia Festen Jamil Khoury
L.C. Bernadine Malik Gillani
Linda and Joe Hassan Lyn and Dave Montgomery
Mike and Sue Akel Ray Driver
Special Thanks To:
Zakaria Alilech Abdelfettah Marouani
Hassan Amraoui Omar Chennafi
Mark Holbrook Cherif Brahim Tidjanni
Yassine and Brahim Zakia Saher
John Davison Richard Martin
Mohammed Mikou Rita Arraki
Salwa Aarab Mouna Rmiki
Bouteyna Mahmoud Hannoun Rugs from Morocco
Bleu de Fes Rugs Tangier
The Amraoui Family & Gite Nerrahte
We’d also like to thank:
Hugo Massa Joe Lukawski
Dr. Margaret McLagan Anna Bahow
Mary Morrissette Jared Andrukanis
Dr. Brinkley Messick Eric Branholm
Hélène Quinou Leslie Sabiston
Salma Hargai Frank Vellenga
Maggie Doherty Laurent Foulon
Youssef Benkirane
The Media and Anthropology Working Group at Columbia University
Music:
“Hna”, by Oum, album: Zarabi (2015), Loft Music and Music Development Company
Music graciously provided by:
Oum and Music Development Company
Translations: Zakaria Alilech
Filmed in Morocco: June 2014, June-July 2015