Arts Lab 6.0: Soukaina Sekkan - Month 6

We started this month by preparing for three consecutive exhibitions and caravans Jemom, Folklore, and lastly, MaRr. Everything was well organized, and even though our artworks were on display, it was clear that the teens and youth were more interested in our workshops. Seeing their engagement made the whole experience even better.

On February 24, we all went out to play billiards together, and it was so much fun. It felt nice to take a break and just enjoy the moment.

The following days were all about focusing on the Cucuteni artwork. I spent most of my time working with clay, creating a bowl in the shape of a brain to represent memory. Around it, I carved different Cucuteni symbols in circles, knowing how deeply Cucuteni history is connected to clay. I also used the same symbols in a more creative way to fill 450 squares, each with a unique design. It was a long and detailed process, but the final result was worth it. Meanwhile, we also worked on a short video with local volunteers, and it turned out amazing.

On March 2, we had the Cucuteni exhibition, the first one during Ramadan. After all those sleepless nights, I was exhausted, but the exhibition went well. People were really impressed by the level of detail in each square, which made me happy despite the tiredness.

The next few days were all about planning upcoming events, organizing materials, and sorting the archive. We also had meetings to discuss what comes after the project ends. It’s going to be tough to just go back to our lives after this experience, and we all felt it.

Then, on March 9, it was time for the Moroccan Night! I was so excited to cook dishes that truly represent my country and share a bit of our culture with everyone. I prepared some of Morocco’s most famous dishes—couscous, msemen, baghrir, and rfissa. Seeing everyone enjoy the food and the atmosphere made it such a special night.

After that, we started preparing for the Super Talks. Sona was the first one to present, and her talk was about plants and gardening. By the end of it, I think everyone was convinced they needed a plant in their house!

And now, we continue with our plans, excited for what’s coming next.

Report written by Soukaina Sekkan, she's from Morocco and she's one of the 14 volunteers participating in Arts Lab 6.0, a project co-funded by the European Union through the European Solidarity Corps program.