CRAFT AT CROSSROADS: MOROCCO

Rishav Jain | Bruno Melotto | Jay Thakkar

COURSE NUMBER
S16FD004
CREDITS
5
FEES
Rs. 27,500/DATES
23rd May to 4th June
DURATION
13 Days
NO. OF STUDENTS
30
OPEN FOR PROFESSIONALS
Yes
PREREQUISITES FOR PROFESSIONALS
Professional with design background

FEES FOR PROFESSIONALS

Rs. 34,375/PREREQUISITES FOR STUDENTS
Open to all

LOCATION
CEPT Campus & Morrocco
EXPENSE
Approx. Rs.35,000/- (food, stay &
local travel) + Airfare
STUDENTS DELIVERABLES
Documentation, Panels
FACULTY OF DESIGN

Image Source: Course Faculty

Rishav Jain is an Assistant Professor at Faculty of Design and is a Research

Associate with Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre, CEPT University.
He completed his Masters in Interior Architecture and Design from, CEPT
University. He has authored, Crafts in Interior Archietcture: India, 1990 onwards.
Bruno Melotto has a Masters Degree in Architecure and PhD in Architecture,
Urban Design, Conservation of Housing and Landscape at the Polytechnic
University of Milan. He published the books: Ars Domestica, Housing Primer,
Marrakech and The hidden void .
Jay Thakkar is an Assistant Professor at Faculty of Design and Head of Research
at Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre, CEPT University. He has coauthored Prathaa: Kath-Khuni Architecture of Himachal Pradesh and Matra:
Ways of Measuring Vernacular Built Forms of Himachal Pradesh. He has also
authored Naqsh: The Art of Wood Carving of Traditional Houses of Gujarat
Focus on Ornamentation .

The first image destined to firmly settle in the memory of every traveller who arrives in Marrakech is the figure of the historic city silhouetted
against the majestic backdrop of the Atlas Mountains. It is a powerful image, rich of contrasts: the geometric shapes of the walls and the distant
outline of the mountain range; the pink colour of the earth used for construction and the green and blue tiles used for decoration.
These important and clear references, however, are going to be questioned as soon as one enters the dense urban fabric. After passing one of the
many doors that dot the city walls, Marrakech offers him a second image: that of the lively chaos of the medina. The swirl of life within the walls
is surprising and disorienting. But a third and final image is revealed as soon as one crosses the threshold of one of the buildings or houses that
make up the fabric of the city. All of a sudden, the outside world is away: the coolness of the courtyards and the order and the silence reigning
there, are the components of a strong idea of quiet domesticity, measured and measurable.
The course will focus (through visits and practical experiences) on the rammed earth construction, the production of zellij, tiles and glasses, the
work of craftsmen doing plaster decoration, mosaics, and sculpted woods.
The proposed course has three main targets:
1) The knowledge of an interesting social, cultural and artistic reality, observed in the processes of historical sedimentation, as well as in the
dynamics of the contemporary world;
2) The acquisition of in-depth knowledge of local crafts reality;
3) Study and drawing of local crafts and their use in the traditional buildings.