Le Medina: Notes from the Focus Groups

(Initiated: 2016)

A short film and digital prints about how attitudes to North African migration influence the branding of a real estate development in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The ‘Le Medi’ housing estate in Bospolder, Rotterdam was originally going to be called ‘Le Medina’. Its final name was chosen because it was ‘Mediterranean linked’ whilst the latter was too obviously Islamic.

This film uses fiction to dramatize the results of actual focus groups that took place to understand the connotations of Le Medina and how it should be rebranded. 3D visualisations of the development were made to accompany the film. These were printed on Duratrans and fitted to LED frames, display techniques often used by estate agents.

The work unravels hidden attitudes to migration from North Africa and the Middle East that lie behind the facade of the architectural development.

This work was commissioned by Showroom MAMA (Rotterdam) and developed through their ‘Rookies MA’ residency. It was exhibited as part of Showroom MAMA’s 2016 programme.