Espace Fonoun Zawya
The Cultural Space Built with Your Words
Fonoun (pronounced foo-noon, and means “the arts” in the Arabic language) Zawya is a space dedicated to the young people of the neighborhood and to all of those who want to visit it, to learn about the activities of the project, discover job opportunities and deepen the traditional and modern techniques of Moroccan craftsmanship and design. Fonoun Zawya is a place where young people can meet master craftsmen and designers and discuss their projects. The cultural space has a library with materials to consult to delve into the origins and evolution of national and international art techniques and crafts.
Fonoun Zawya is being restored and the decoration works involve all those who love to create with the intellect and their hands. Everyone can participate by actively contributing to the creation of Fonoun Zawya by financing part of the interior decoration.
You can support Fonoun Zawya by buying a craftwork with your words.
How does it work?
Choose a word or phrase you want carved into the walls of the space we are restoring in Marrakech. Then choose the material you want to carve it on. Half of the money you send will be the craftsman’s fee, the other half will go towards the renovation of the Fonoun Zawya Cultural Space. If you would like a copy of the requested craft to keep for yourself, please contact us.
What do you want to write?
Send us a message with the word you want sculpted in the cultural space, your name, a loved one’s, or even an inspirational quote. You can use email, WhatsApp, Instagram or come and visit us. Our staff together with the artisans will create the design of your name or use the already carved letters to assemble it.
Pick the material of your choice
Choose the material on which you want to engrave your words : plaster, cedar wood or zellije.
Plaster is the easiest material to work with.
Cedar wood that is sustainably cultivated; it smells great, but is a harder material to sculpt.
Zellije is an artistic mosaic technique that uses hand-cut, engraved and composed ceramic tiles in either wood, metal or added to a wall.
How the Idea for the Fonoun Zawya was Born
At the end of Massimo Grimaldi’s workshop in June 2022, the staff meetings that followed helpd clearly define in the identity and purpose of the Fonoun Zawya. The first question that Grimaldi asked the staff was “Who are you and what do you want?”. This poetic question led us to wonder about our personal identity, our goals and what we personally expect from the project. In addition to the staff, five new young people were present at the meeting, and kept working with us in the following days. Thereafter, everyone agreed to partake in personal growth and bettering of the neighborhood. Change, and have faith in change. From this simple yet profound statement, arose the need to make the neighborhood a safe place, as well as create work opportunities for its inhabitants. This had always been a priority in the goals and direction of the project. The new young people’s awareness to these matters, solidified the importance of creating a safe meeting and working space in the middle of the neighborhood. A place that represents the radical change that is occurring in the neighborhood following the establishment of the different activities and workshops brought forward by the project.
Fonoun Zawya then became the symbol of this change ; a rebirth of the neighborhood, not only commercial but also cultural. This cultural space has thus become a space where foreign and non-foreign visitors can live and breathe this desire for change and the personal development of the young inhabitants of the neighborhood. A place that over time will allow you to discover, through the commitment of the youth and their teachers, the origins, evolution and realization of a concrete dream born of their needs. It was quickly understood that this entrepreneurial and cultural project must be realized with the contribution of everyone, with the creativity and commitment of each young person who believes in this change.
Customers and contributors will be able to participate in the creation of the cultural space by placing orders and paying online for the purchase of letters, names and short sentences handcrafted in the association’s workshops. The slogan of the campaign is: “We build Fonoun Zawya with your words”. Each artifact carved on plaster, wood or zellige will end up inlaid in walls, ceilings, floors, tables and any furniture that can accommodate the phrases and names of their donors.
The cultural space, in addition to being a living construction site and a place to exhibit works of the youth, will be a place where you can find a selection of literature on the history, traditions and craft techniques of Morocco, creating a link between traditional crafts and modern design, between art and culture, and inevitably between tradition and future.