Making: Crafts and Material Cultures
Environmental degradation is taking a significant toll on the way we interact with our planet. "Making" is a program initiated by IWlab that delves into the concept of "homo-faber" in the post-Anthropocene era. "Making" places a strong emphasis on narrating and comprehending the techniques and ecosystems of craftsmanship within the context of climate change. Since 2018, the "Making" program has engaged in dialogues with local artisans in Syria and the Arab region, with the aim of highlighting and illustrating the intricate relationship between craftsmanship and available resources. Additionally, the program explores how these craft traditions influence urban life in Middle Eastern cities. As a result, the "Making" program has led to co-created architectural and interior solutions with local reed weaving artisans in Damascus, the documentation of food-related spaces in Syria, and the cataloging of 21 diverse cultures of craftsmanship in Syria, Egypt, and Morocco.
This program was supported by an artistic residency at Delphina Foundation in 2022 Autumn Season “Politics of Food”
Aleppo Soap Variations
Qamar Al Din : In Detail
The Politics of Food at Delfina Foundation
During his residency at Delfina Foundation, as part of The Politics of Food programme (autumn 2022), Wesam investigated how domestic architecture in Syria was transformed into machines for food production, processing, and storing during the last ten years of the war’s severe scarcity of resources and energy. When freezers were shut down and food became expensive, many old food preservation habits became valuable again. The project will rely on oral and visual history to unpack these habits and show the impact of food crises on the notion of dwelling in different geographies in Syria.
Qamar Al Din | The Politics of Food Podcast- Delfina Foundation
Craft Representation
