Meet Mouna Andraos, co-founder of Daily Tous les Jours

Carly: In so many of your projects, I see a strong element of play. In that playful aspect, are there things that have happened that have been surprising? Or audience reactions that have been surprising reactions to you?

Mouna: I think yes, all the time. In many ways the projects only exist through the people, and through their reactions and interactions. We like to say that probably the biggest surprise we’ve had and we still have is our project, The Swings. The project was put in an area where there’s not traditionally a lot of play, but we were still surprised by how much the project touched people’s imaginations. It is such a simple concept: everyone who wants to participate understands the expectations around swinging, many of us have positive feelings of discovery and enchantment around swinging, and it’s also fun to watch!  It was meant to be a one-off presentation, but we’ve repeated it in a number of cities.

Carly: It sounds like the kind of project that could be meaningful in many different areas. What are some recent projects you’ve enjoyed, and what other projects coming up that you’re excited about?

Mouna: I really enjoyed working on last summer’s Mesa Musical Shadows, where people used their bodies to influence the sounds that are made on a large pavement. Coming up, we’ll be creating two museum exhibitions, one of which will be a permanent, interactive exhibition in Montreal’s Pointe-à-Callière museum in conjunction with the city’s 375th anniversary festivities that tells the story of the first site where the French arrived. And I’m also excited for us to participate in Igloofest, a night time electronic musical festival that shows off structures for the public to enjoy.

Carly: Are these the sorts of things that you’ll be discussing during muraLAB? What else might someone learn at Monday evening’s session?

Mouna: Definitely! For people who are already in the field, I think it’ll be interesting to hear about our methodology, our process, and how we’ve evolved – what’s worked and what hasn’t worked. And for people who are curious about our work but aren’t necessarily professionals in this area, I think they’ll begin to understand why we think this work is important for cities and citizens. This body of work is part of a larger conversation about urban environments – and hopefully everyone who attends will come away with an understanding of why this matters and why they should get involved.

Carly: Thanks so much, Mouna, and I’m really looking forward to hearing from you and Melissa on Monday evening!