“El Makam” is an installation created by the artist Bader Klidi during the Kif El Kef event in October 2023 in Kef, Tunisia.

The term makam in Arabic primarily means the residence of a holy man. In Sufi tradition, it also refers to the various spiritual stations that the soul of the Sufi must reach in its quest for God. Furthermore, makam refers to musical scales in the Arabic tradition.

This name was given to the installation, which presents immersive and participatory works centered around five holy men, also called walis or marabouts. The artist chose an abandoned house in the medina of Kef to host his installation, thus giving new life to this historically rich place.

Apart from the scent of incense and ambient (Sufi) music created for this project, each room in the house is decorated with green flags, candles, and silhouettes, creating a subtle artistic representation of the marabouts while giving each saint a distinct identity. Inside, one discovers MDF (or paper) silhouettes carefully arranged on the walls.

Nearby, visitors are invited through inscriptions on paper in three languages (Arabic, French, and English). Everyone is encouraged to write their name, make a wish, draw a sun, and write a positive word on the silhouettes.

At the top of each station is the name of a holy man, for example, the makam of Sidi Boumakhlouf.

The first two stations actively and creatively engage visitors. Post-it notes and pencils are provided to allow everyone to express themselves.

The third station features an installation of nine male and female silhouettes fixed to the walls and painted with phosphorescent colors, highlighted by black light. This immersive experience invites visitors to enter a mystical dimension, evoking the connection between stars, the divine world, the sky, and the cosmos.

Next, an installation presents a green silhouette, recalling the experience of the third room, this time accompanied by a suspended paper key.

At the final stage of the journey, in the last room, the visitor faces a mirror-silhouette. This experience symbolizes each person’s confrontation with their own image, suggesting that the secret lies within each of us. White spheres, symbolically and aesthetically evoking stars, are also scattered throughout this room.

Additionally, a large inflatable structure occupies the central courtyard of the house at the entrance. It takes the majestic form of a Jamoor: a structure composed of three spheres and a crescent, representing planets. This symbol is frequently found atop the domes of marabout mausoleums.

It is important to know that in Kef, there are more than 150 marabouts, each carrying a unique story but all united by a common message and teaching: that of the evolution of the soul and the transcendence of being.

Thus, “El Makam” is an immersive and participatory installation that invites the creation of a collective artwork in tribute to Kef, its marabouts, astrology, and spirituality.