SPIRIT ANIMALS & RIVERBIRDS

Art installation & performance

Tunisia | Augsburg

“Spirit Animals & Riverbirds” is an immersive, transcultural art installation that seeks to translate ancient spiritual approaches to the natural world into a 21st century urban environment. The project weaves a complex narrative between the traditional
crafts of the Amazigh people of North Africa and the industrial heritage of Europe, using water, earth and textiles as symbolic connecting elements. An intercultural conversation will take place between the Jewish-Arab artist Rafram Chaddad, Sebastian Giussani and Laura Jungfer from Augsburg, and Sabiha Jmelei from the artisan village of Sejnane in Tunisia.

At the same time, a bridge is being built between two UNESCO-designated sites: the intangible cultural heritage of the Sejnane women’s pottery and the world heritage of the Augsburg water management system, both of which are recognized worldwide for their cultural and historical significance. The creative process develops in several phases: In Sejnane, the team will work with local women artisans to create small animal figurines from terracotta. These figures are inspired by various river mythologies and Amazigh traditions. The figures will be made from clay that comes directly from the local Sejnane riverbed. After arriving in Augsburg, a long textile ribbon is selected for each clay figure as part of a workshop and small rafts and boats are built for the performance.

The final step in the artistic process is a public performance on Saturday, August 2, which invites festival visitors to actively participate in the creation and symbolism of the artwork. Along the banks of the Stempflebach stream in the Siebentischwald forest, the figures will be selected together and handed over to the water in small boats and rafts. In a contemplative moment, past and present merge into a flowing narrative: the “Riverbirds” glide through the stream, carrying the stories of forgotten generations and connecting cultures in an ephemeral work of art – a delicate, powerful reminder of a shared humanity. Downstream, the figures and their textile ribbons are collected. Participants then arrange these elements together on a bamboo construction, creating a large-scale sculptural installation. Here it becomes part of the waterfowl parade.

Meeting point for the “Riverbirds” performance: Ablass am oberen Anger / Stempflebach in Siebentischpark at 3:30 pm

Spirit Animals & Riverbirds is sponsored by the Andrea von Braun Foundation

Contributors

Rafram Chaddad
Born on the island of Djerba off the coast of Tunisia, artist Rafram Chaddad (*1976) archives, reconceptualizes and reflects on his personal life experiences and comments on broader socio-political issues such as migration and displacement, identity and belonging. He has created dozens of short films and installations that have been exhibited in cultural institutions, galleries and museums around the world, including Kunst im Tunnel, Düsseldorf; Kunstraum, New York; Kayu Lucie Fontaine Gallery, Bali and Milan; ArteEast foundation, New York; Halle 14, Leipzig. Since 2021, Chaddad has been a visiting critic in Columbia University’s MFA program.
Photo: Helena Gladen

Sabiha Jmelei
is a Tunisian potter from Sejnane whose traditional craft of terracotta figurines was recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in 2018. She creates figurines from river clay from her home country and is committed to passing on these ancient Amazigh techniques to future generations.
Photo: Rafram Chaddad

August 02 – Stempflebach in Siebentisch Park – 3:30 p.m.

Photo: Rafram Chaddad

Illustration: Alex Bon