Case Study / Web
Dar Souiri
Cultural venue and artist residency — Essaouira, Morocco
Overview
The Project
Dar Souiri is a cultural venue run by Association Essaouira Mogador (AEM) in the medina of Essaouira. The space hosts art exhibitions, music events, artist residencies, and community workshops. It's a working cultural centre, not a tourist attraction — the site needs to serve local artists, visiting residents, and event attendees equally.
The scope is still being confirmed with the client. What follows is the planned direction based on early conversations — not a finished deliverable. I'm including it here because transparency about in-progress work is more useful than an empty portfolio.
Context
The Challenge
Dar Souiri currently has limited web presence. Event announcements happen through social media and word of mouth, which works locally but makes it hard for visiting artists and international residency applicants to find programme details, dates, or application processes.
The site needs to work in at least French and English — Arabic is likely for Phase 2. Content changes frequently (events, exhibitions, residency calls) so the CMS or content workflow needs to be manageable by non-technical staff at AEM.
Direction
Planned Approach
The current plan is Next.js with next-intl for multilingual routing, MDX for event and programme content that can be edited in a text editor, and Tailwind for a design system that reflects the warmth and character of the venue itself — exposed stone, Gnawa music, Atlantic light.
Key pages: event calendar, residency programme details with application info, gallery of past exhibitions, and practical visitor information (location, hours, contact). The information architecture is simple but the bilingual content workflow is the real challenge.
Status
Where Things Stand
This project is in early discussions. Scope, timeline, and budget are being confirmed with AEM Essaouira. The stack and approach described above reflect my recommendation based on initial conversations — the final direction may change once the brief is agreed.
I'll update this page as the project progresses. If you're working on something similar — a cultural venue, arts organisation, or bilingual content site — the approach would be very close to what's outlined here.
This project uses the Web Development service.
← All projectsBuilding a cultural or arts site?
Bilingual content, event calendars, residency applications — I know this problem space.