Makan is going on a voyage of adventure and discovery; meanwhile the physical space will become a lab that explores notions and meanings of space through the transformation in function over a period of several months. Two artists have proposed projects exploring the potential of the space.

Daydreaming at 5:48 PM

Toleen Touq, October until December 2009

The project will transform Makan into a neighbourhood sound transmitter. A soundscape (a.k.a. memories) of Jabal Al Weibdeh will be collected and created through extensive sound recordings. At regular intervals Makan's balcony will be used to broadcast re-mixed samples of these recordings and other materials as interventions to the soundscape. These fragmented stories together form an invisible narrative that is traceable over a timeline of several months. 

Toleen Touq is a multi-media installation artist based in Amman. Her work investigates notions of identity, belonging and (im)-mobility and often tends to expose surreal environments by reinterpreting public and private spaces. Since 2007, Toleen has been involved in several independent cultural and social initiatives as a cultural operator and has participated in residencies and workshops in Jordan, Egypt and the UK.

The Park

Saba Innab, January-February 2010

The project investigates the concept of the public space transforming the physical art space of Makan into a public park, in a city where a high way or a roundabout is the public park. Can elements that already exist in city scenery create platforms for public empowerment? What are the politics of the public sphere? This attempt places a new user in a changed context, an investigation of the prepackaged ideas of what is public. 

Saba Innab acquired a bachelor’s degree in Architecture- Jordan University of Science and Technology- 2004; she currently works as a freelance architect and is a practicing visual artist in Amman. In her work she attempts at understanding space as a social product, an ongoing research manifested in narrative forms, maps, illustrations, paintings and installations. Saba has taken part in local and international exhibitions, artist residencies and workshops.