How can family archives be used to form a broader understanding of a place and its history? How can they help us provide honest and more intimate documentation of the city and its inhabitants, in the past, present, and future?

By delving into family archives (photos, diaries, notes, documents, clippings, contracts, and letters… etc), this workshop will focus on integrating the private and the public; the personal and the collective.

Using methods of expression such as movement, drama, visuals, and words, participants will collectively build conversations, art projects, and other aesthetic formats that offer the opportunity to relive our histories. Artists from all disciplines interested in developing artworks based on archives are encouraged to apply.

The workshop is conducted in Arabic.

Wasim Kurdi is a poet, writer, and practitioner in the field of drama in education. He was the Director of the Qattan Centre for Educational Research and Development at the A. M. Qattan Foundation. He also worked as the Managing Editor of Al-Kateb Magazine and he was the Chief Editor of the Ru’a Tarbawiyya periodic educational magazine, and a referee at NATD Journal, published by the National Association for Teaching of Drama. He has published four poetry collections and has also written four lyrical dance performances produced by Al-Funoun Dance Troupe and the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music. Kurdi has published several studies and books in the field of drama and education and has participated in several conferences and forums. Kurdi has an MA degree in Drama In Education, and some of his current interests include using drama in exploring knowledge and artistic inspiration.