Ourika Valley, Atlas Mountains, Morocco
The Site for our Major Thesis project is located in the Ourika Valley up in the Atlas Mountains.
The valley itself is a volatile natural force. Every spring a torrent of water crashes through the valley, washing away makeshift bridges and sometimes homes. The river plays a paradoxical role in the lives of the Berber people, providing life sustaining water but also manifesting itself as a destructive force.
The next installment of our Emergent "Tectonic Transgressions" took us to Morocco.
We were housed in the 'Annexe', a property in Marrakesh owned by the University of Rabat, located just outside of the Medina Wall.During the trip we immersed ourselves within the Medina of Marrakesh, designed a short project in cooperation with two Danish students from the Univeristy of Aalborg, and travelled up the Ourika Valley in the Atlas Mountains as well as to Casablanca and Rabat.The following photographs are of our exploration of Marrakesh and the Souks


The historic Medina Wall demarcates the old fortified city



The main square - "Djemaa El Fna", is a Unesco World Heritage site, primarily for the activities which occur within it. During the day the square is relatively busy, however at night it is transformed into a hive of acrobats, story tellers and musicians, as well as food tents which are erected and disassembled daily.







The Souks are the largest traditional style market in Morocco, and are arranged by trade, ie Leather Souk, Metalwork Souk, Spice Souk etc. They are a sensory overload of noise, colour and aroma.
The Diploma 2 Showcase event was designed as an arena for all Diploma 2 students to present their own Thesis propositions through an artefact or drawing made specifically for the event, which would in some way describe the Thesis in question.
For the showcase event I designed a small tea house, which along with a verbal presentation began to explore firstly ideas of Taoist thought in relation to building, as well as the idea of distilling an experience, and ritual as a means of bridging cultures.