Toren van Babel: meet the artists! Editie 5 – Olfa Ben Ali
The Meet the artist! video series of the Tower of Babel, 2021
In the context of the Tower of Babel at NDSM, we will talk to eight artists who contribute to this art installation in their own way. Each with their own, unique workshop, allows Amsterdammers to reflect on the city of the future. Together, they create versatile works of art that will all be decorated in an impressive building at the NDSM shipyard from September 18 to October 17. In this fifth edition: Olfa Ben Ali.
“The first thing that refugees give you - even if they have nothing else - is tea. By doing this, even if you don't speak the same language, you capture communication, a gesture, a smile.”
Olfa Ben Ali is a French-Tunisian visual artist who works primarily with social issues. For the Tower of Babel at NDSM, she organized a workshop where refugees set up a social enterprise: Refutea (www.refutea.nl), an iced tea with unique flavors.
Come and see how Refutea was created in the video installation at the Tower of Babel at NDSM!
Watch the video interview here that Anna Sidorchik (OAT Studio) made with her.
credits
REFUTEA CREDITS: Concept/Poem: Olfa Ben Ali (France/Tunisia)
Graphic Design: Super Collective Design (Germany/Romania)
Video Artist: Ignas van Rijckevorsel (Netherlands/England)
Text editing: Marie Medevielle (France)
Translator Farsi: Keyvin Shaghaghi (Iran) Web design: Ot Leendertse (Netherlands/Indonesia)
Composers: Tayebeh & Leila (Iran), Hussein & Narges (Afghanistan), Ibrahim (Sierra Leone), Emmad (Syria), Buba (Gambia)
Coaching: Pieter Leendertse (Netherlands)
Special thanks to: AZC Amsterdam, Eigenwijks Foundation, Gina van der Linden (Netherlands), Elisabetta Pastorutti (Italy)
REFUTEA is a project by Andy Wahloo.