“The five pointed star has become a contested symbol in everyday life; its original mystical significance has been replaced with nationalist, commercial, and military meanings. So I began to re-imagine this star's meaning... to express a new moment for societies to reflect on this symbol as a starting point for change.”

Sara Ouhaddou

French–Moroccan Designer & Social Practices Artist

Born in France to a traditional Moroccan family, Ouhaddou began her career as a designer for fashion brands, but later gravitated towards a social art practice, specifically addressing the challenges facing the artisan craftsmen community in Morocco. Her practice questions the availability of design as a tool for economic, social and cultural development with a focus on the Arab world.

Out Among The Stars is an ongoing project with CULTURUNNERS realised through a series of journeys which link Moroccan and American craftsmen, and explore traditional star patterns found in both Islamic art and Western popular culture. Sara’s artistic practice has always functioned as a kind of conduit between artisans working with Islamic patterns in Morocco and the contemporary world in Europe and now for the first time in the US.

In 2016, Sara and CULTURUNNERS embarked on a cross-country road-trip across North America to create an improved ‘constellation' based on the star found in both Morocco’s and America’s national flags; through innovation in shape, material and context, the project challenges established symbolism, and generates new meaning related to contemporary concerns.