Join Said Mouhssine and Brahim Ech-Chibi at 3.30-4.45pm on Thursday 14 August at Treadgolds (1 Bishop St, Portsea, Portsmouth PO1 3DA) for an informal sharing of Zarbia – their latest work in progress, being developed during a week-long residency in Portsmouth between UK tour dates in Luton and London.

Email ana@cryingoutloud.org to secure your free spot.

Zarbia (meaning ‘carpet’ in Darija, the Moroccan dialect) reimagines the carpet as a carrier of culture, layered with story, rhythm and symbolism. From rooftops to alleyways, palaces to homes, Company Zid explore its physical and emotional weight through their signature movement language rooted in parkour, acrobatics and street performance.

This is a work-in-progress presentation, where the artists will share sections of the piece as part of their creative process. There may be an opportunity to offer feedback or reflections after the performance.

During their residency, the company will also lead workshops with local groups, continuing their creative connection with the Solent region through Taroo (2023) and Playable Monument (2024). You can read more about Company Zid here.

The one we sleep on, eat on, talk on, pray on, and decorate with. The one that is sold, slowly hand-woven and found in homes all around the world – from luxurious palaces to the most modern houses.

The heavy carpet that women wash on rooftops, the one rolled up and carried on backs through the narrow alleys of the medina. The carpet seen in the streets, handing from windows on rooftops, in the countryside, during celebrations, weddings, fantasias, harvets, even on the backs of donkeys…

But who is behind these artisans, these merchants, these workers? Those who struggle to pass on their know-how to the younger generations, who find it hard to make a living from their craft, who worry about the future of their trade?

Credits:

A Crying Out Loud production by Company Zid, presented by Revoluton Arts in partnership with Global Streets and supported by Arts Council England.