Palm trees in Morocco

This is a collaborative project with the craftsmen of Akka oasis in Morocco, as part of a program set up by UNDP to struggle against the desertification of southern regions. The main challenge of this project was to design a new range of products made primarily with techniques of palm leaves weaving in order to develop the local activity and diversify the craft production, by taking into account the means available locally and a rational use of raw materials.

Site

Akka, Morocco

Date

January - November 2011

Team

Amandine Chhor (designer)
Aïssa Logerot (designer)
Akka cooperatives (weavers)

client

UNDP (United Nations Development Program)

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During our stay in Morocco, we were able to analyze and understand the context and issues of the project. To face the saturated and repetitive production of few basket models, we proposed to work on daily and useful products that could be used both locally and as a tourist souvenir.

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The design of the objects created comes from the encounter between contemporary shapes and traditional skills, bright colors and natural shades, open structures and solid surfaces, with the objective of formal simplicity and an obvious use.

What we’ve done:

1.

Immersion in the discovering of Akka’s know-how and possibilities. Analysis of the context, market and issues.

2.

We set up a workshop with the craftswomen to explain design approaches and design molds and tools to diversify their production in the long term.

3.

We created various objects like a table centerpiece, a cloche tray, a dried fruit bowl, and a range of tables which would enhance the palm leaves specific weaving.

4.

We set up collaborations between different craftsmen to highlight the palm leaves know-how and possibilities. The iron workshop produced the tables' structures, whereas the cabinet maker produced the complementary elements for the tray, fruit bowl and table centerpiece.