“Throughout history, women handled the Haima. In a physical way,first. To weave, sew, maintain, assemble, disassemble the tent.Women and community. This is the Tuisa, a tent which can stand more than 200 pounds. One year for the weaving, ten hands to sew it, twenty hands to carry it ”. … ”They give the weave a solid texture, impervious to the cold of the night and winter, heat from the most intense sun. ”
Christiane Perregaux, “Women of the Desert”
This artwork attempts to cover a 500m ² tent, fully hand-woven by a group of women for the original Tan-Tan’s moussem in Morocco. It will take place in the square of the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, from October 15th 2014 to January 25th 2015 during  the Contemporary Morocco exhibition.

The moussem -these meetings that brought over thirty nomadic tribes of the Sahara together – are an oral testimony of Sarawiartistic cultures. Celebrated in September 2004 after 30 years of absence, it was finally recognized in 2008 and classified by UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
This is a reinterpretation of the traditional Saharawi tent, easily assembled and disassembled by nomadic peoples during their desert journeys throughout Morocco.
It is an ephemeral installation, where height variations give a topographical and territorial dimension. In light of previous installations that have taken place at the forecourt of the institute, this contemporary tent crosses heritage and technical innovation. The structure hosts a free, large access with a literary café, a space for performances with a programme that is in continuity with the events that drive exposure to the IMA, and design shop and contemporary Moroccan handicrafts.

It is a tribute to the ancient peoples of the desert towards an experimental mutation of these Bedouin tents, where the codes are preserved while recomposing its architectural vocabulary.

The tent is draped in a woollen cloth that is rough, dense, animal and organic.

A face to face of the flexible architecture, sensually facing Jean Nouvel’s glass and steel façade in a feminine way.