ENSEMBLE.s

ZAT Montpelier, France 2025
A participatory site specfic installation by UV LAB Under the artistic direction of Créature.s Créatrice.s, in partnership with Esprit Libre and Laboratoire Urbain, Financed by the City of Montpellier.

ENSEMBLE.s is a participatory art installation that combines the traditional Moroccan art of Zellige with a contemporary and collective approach. In the heart of the La Mosson district, a hyperboloid structure is dressed in ceramic panels created by local residents in collaborative workshops. Each motif, each colour and each piece of clay tells a unique story, while blending harmoniously into a common work of art. Much more than a sculpture, ENSEMBLE.s creates a space for encounters and contemplation, celebrating unity in diversity and the dialogue between tradition and modernity.

Workshops led by

Maryam Samaan, artiste multidisciplinaire
Nathalie Marinier-Julien, artisane d’Art – Céramiste
Khaled Alwarea, co-fondateur & chargé créatif de UV LAB
Shnsho, co-fondateur & chargé technique de UV LAB
Nezha Hamdi Alaoui, Esprit Libre
Jaafar Fanchi, Laboratoire Urbain

Guest artists

Jawhar Kodadi, architecte chercheur à l’intersection du Zellige traditionnel et des algorithmes mathématiques
Layla Abdelkarim, architecte et experte en patrimoine

Installation design :

UV LAB
Computational design, fabrication strategy and detailed design : Michael R. DiCarlo
Structural engineering : Quentin Alart
Parametric distribution strategy for Zellige : Jawhar Kodadi
Assembly : UV LAB
Prefabrication : AMA (Amazing Modular Architecture)