Listen to Episode 2 Season 3 of our podcast, A Future in the Folds of the Past, a documentary series that focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in addressing the climate crisis.

In this episode, titled ‘A Drop of Sky’, Amanda Abi Khalil, an art curator and founder of the TAP platform, tells us about her initiatives in Lebanon and Brazil that merge contemporary art, environmental, and community work. Amanda uses contemporary art as an effective tool for change, launching several projects that address these themes. 

Episode 2: A Drop of Sky

Waterway is called "Khattara” in Morocco; "Foggara" in in Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia; "Qanaya" in Lebanon and “Falaj” in Gulf countries. 

Despite the different names for irrigation systems and canals in Arab countries, they are quite similar in their development and adaptation to perform the functions of collecting, transporting, and distributing water in our lands. These systems operate in a smooth and balanced way, serving the dry nature of some regions.

Our discussion today is with female activists in the cultural and artistic fields who have drawn inspiration from practices around us, such as the irrigation channel systems. Their work focuses on understanding the history of these practices and the context in which they were formed. Additionally, they emphasize the power of collective work and the importance of reclaiming the commons as a shared space that everyone preserves and owns.

In conversation with: 

Amanda Abi Khalil, an art curator and founder of the TAP platform, is active in Lebanon and Brazil, using contemporary art as an effective tool for change. She has launched several initiatives that merge art, environment, and community work.

Francesca Masoero, an art curator and cultural program coordinator, initiated the "Qanat" project in 2017, commissioned by Space 18 in Marrakech, Morocco. The project has evolved through multidisciplinary research and relies on collective production shared between the artistic field and community initiatives.

Season three focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in addressing the climate crisis.

Highlighting the impacts of climate change on communities across the SWANA region, particularly vulnerable groups, the podcast emphasizes the role of art in fostering dialogue around the climate crisis.

A podcast that invites listeners on a journey exploring critical issues through the lens of contemporary art and culture, ‘A Future in the Folds of the Past’ is the only Arabic-language podcast dedicated to contemporary visual arts in a documentary format.

Listen to our podcast on your favorite streaming platform. 

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