Extended Cities

Extended Cities Extended Cities is an intersectional artistic residency that explores the relationship between countries and cities and the themes on which they are based, including history, literature, and memory, focusing on the theme of construction and demolition. “Extended Cities, Khartoum – Port Sudan – Cairo”, studies from a visual and artistic perspective the re-narration of the city of Khartoum in the cities of Port Sudan and Cairo following the post-war displacement in April 2023, which led to social and economic transformations in the city’s space. Why do we study Port Sudan and Cairo? Sudan is suffering from the worst displacement crisis in the world after the outbreak of the war on April 15, 2023. About 246,979 thousand people were displaced towards the city of Port Sudan, and about 514,827 thousand people took refuge in the Republic of Egypt. This crisis led to social and economic changes and changes to the city’s space, some of which resulted from a re-narration of the city of Khartoum by the displaced and refugees in these cities. The displacement movement to the city of Port Sudan led to changes in the shape of the city through the activities of the displaced, which produced a new neighbourhood form and a new economic movement that worked to make the narrative of Khartoum in the city so that the names of the shops and the form of transportation in the city became closer. In the city of Cairo, changes were evident through economic and social activity, as the Sudanese carried with them the narrative of Khartoum through the names of restaurants, types of perfumes, the food market, and dried foodstuffs, which created a space through which the narrative of Khartoum was reproduced. Why now? Despite the history and great cultural rapprochement that brings together the countries of Egypt and Sudan externally and Port Sudan and Khartoum internally, the great and surprising changes that the war brought about in the reality of the cities contributed to changing the city in some of the regions and areas in which the Sudanese were stationed. The project seeks to document these changes that occurred during just one year of the war. The project aims to: Forming a theoretical framework that allows understanding various aspects of the city and its impact on individuals and communities. Providing narratives to dismantle stereotypes that hinder interaction between communities. It also seeks to explore and understand the city in a new way, through an artistic approach that allows artists to find a common idea about urban life and personal experiences there, in light of war, displacement, and the common suffering experienced by citizens in the three cities. Connecting local artistic communities with expatriate Sudanese artists and creating joint projects that ensure their interaction with each other. This project is funded by Next Level – Production Fund, a project of the Goethe-Institut as part of the German-Arab Transformation Partnership and supported by the German Federal Foreign Office.

Decaying Bank: Reproducing Khartoum Visually

Decaying Bank: Reproducing Khartoum Visually Khartoum at night, photo by Mozafar Ramadan, 2022 WHAT IS LITERATURE? “There was nothing left but the small shrouds that were stacked on the boards in the width of the walls, as if they were mugs containing the remains of the dead.” Jean Paul Sartre Decaying Bank: Reproducing Khartoum Visually is a residency project that attempted to engage with Khartoum from an artistic approach. During this residency, there were many creative and research interventions on the history of Khartoum and its social space, with a cross-disciplinary methodology in which the points from which we saw the city intertwined. The residency resulted in a group of visual works created by the hands of 6 Sudanese visual artists, along with critical interventions to understand the city and reproduce it visually. The project represents an artistic residency that seeks to work on Khartoum city on two levels. The first is a research production on Khartoum and its representations in visual art, and then reconstruct a model from which a different visual production exudes, based on the critical view that was provided through the critical engagement that takes place. Through this, works will be produced (A group of visual artworks) carrying these themes. The project represents an artistic residency that seeks to work on Khartoum city on two levels. The first is a research production on Khartoum and its representations in visual art, and then reconstruct a model from which a different visual production exudes, based on the critical view that was provided through the critical engagement that takes place. Through this, works will be produced (A group of visual artworks) carrying these themes. Residency Artists Elhassan Elmuontasir Elhassan is an independent artist, designer, and artist-run space manager with a background in Graphic Design, technical education, International relations, and Fine art. He co-founded ‘ Khaish Studio’ in Khartoum in 2012 and, since then, has been a part of various art collaborative exhibitions and artist residencies with artists, curators, and art centres in Sudan and other countries, including Uganda, India, Germany, Kenya, and Nigeria. Mozafar Ramadan Mozafar is a fine arts graduate who is now working as a graphic designer in Khartoum. He has participated in many group exhibitions and workshops and had a solo exhibition in Arweqa for Art and Science in 2012. Shaima Hashem Shaima, a painter, believes that art is a way of self-discovery and the process of creating as a search for herself in the world around her. Abdalsalam Alhaj Abdalsalam is a visual artist and VR producer focusing on immersive media, audiovisual, and AR/VR as vehicles for storytelling and self-expression. He is the founder of Rift Digital Lab, a creative immersive agency focusing on AR/VR, podcasts, and audiobooks. Hassan Kamil Hassan is a storyteller who uses still and motion imagery as a medium to tell humanitarian, historical and cultural stories. Over the past five years, he developed a style consisting of colourful & energetic imagery projecting the essence and feel of the Sudanese culture. He is a member of the African Photo Journalism Database (APJD). Hassan worked for international & regional publications. Matche Jaafar Born and raised in Khartoum, Sudan, Metche Jaafar is an architect, freelance Photographer, visual artist, and storyteller with a deep interest in Folklore, Art, and culture. Influenced by the work of Mary Ellen Marks and so many others, she fell in love with photojournalism and documentary photography. Based in Khartoum, she’s interested in documenting social, political, and women’s issues. Through storytelling, she’s documenting for herself first and the people around her, creating and implementing history and heritage, and having a good understanding of emotions, Ideas, and incidents inside and around her. Her work has been showcased in multiple group exhibitions inside and outside Sudan. Project Team Dr. Mohammed Abdalrahaman Hassan Alnasir Reem Aljeally Marwan M. Hamza Mawadda Tarig Ghassan Jaafar Mohamed Abdalla This project is supported by AFAC – Arab Fund For Arts And Culture