The Majlis

The Majlis by Caravane was designed and constructed by Simoń Velez and Stefana Simić in Colombia, in collaboration with Ahmed Chmitti and the Boujad Women’s Weaving Collective in Morocco. 100% handmade, simultaneously on two different continents, the Majlis is made using two of the most renewable materials on earth (bamboo and wool). It will be assembled for the first time at the Abbot of San Giorgio Maggiore among a wildflower garden planted by landscape Todd Longstaffe-Gowan.

There is an Arab proverb, “Al Majlis Madris,” which means “The Majlis is a school”. In 2015, majlis was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as a social and cultural space. Being itself something more than the physical walls of an architecture entity, the majlis is where culture is passed down from one generation to the next, where leaders council on community matters and where guests are greeted with open hearts. In Vence, the Majlis by Caravane will be a space for storytelling, symposia and exchange, all in an effort to answer the question posed by 2021 Biennale Curator Hashim Sarkis: How will we live together?