A workshop between botanical observation and creative writing
What if a plant became the starting point for a piece of writing?
Created by Instant T with Abdou, of the De Mots en Mots writing workshop, Écrire le vivant is an experience that brings two ways of looking together: the way we look at a plant, and the way we look at what moves through us.
During the workshop, participants first learn to observe living things closely: roots, leaves, shapes, rhythms, needs and the signs a plant leaves behind.
This botanical material then opens the way to writing.
Observe before you write
A plant doesn’t speak in words. It responds to light, water, air, time and the conditions around it.
Its responses show in its orientation, its growth, its colours, its textures and even the shape of its roots.
The first part of the workshop invites you to distinguish what you observe from what you imagine, then to discover some surprising and sometimes counter-intuitive botanical phenomena.
The aim is not to speak on the plant’s behalf, but to learn to look long enough to understand what it is really doing.
Letting words take root
Guided by Abdou, each participant then turns their observations, sensations and reflections into a short text.
No particular writing experience is needed. The guidance helps everyone find their own form: fragment, prose, poem or haiku.
The final text is copied onto seed paper, then placed on a bed of perlite in a small germination jar.
With water, air and light, the seeds in the paper can begin to sprout.
The words then become the ground for new growth.
How the workshop unfolds
1. Reading a plant
Observing its shape, roots, leaves and the signs that tell of its relationship with its environment.
2. Discovering the language of living things
Understanding a few botanical mechanisms and opening a reflection based on real phenomena.
3. Writing
Bringing out a personal text with the guidance of Abdou, of the De Mots en Mots writing workshop.
4. Setting words to germinate
Copying the text onto seed paper and preparing its small germination space.
5. Continuing the experience at home
Watching for the first shoots, then moving the young seedlings into their pot when the time comes.
You leave with
- your text written on seed paper;
- your germination jar;
- the perlite needed for the first stage;
- a terracotta pot and its potting mix for transplanting later;
- instructions for nurturing the germination at home.
All materials are provided.
Practical information
Duration: about 1 hour 30 minutes
Price: 450 MAD per participant
Venue: Instant T — 6 Rue Zemmour, Aviation, Rabat
Suitable for beginners.
No botanical knowledge or writing experience is needed.
Groups are deliberately kept small to preserve the quality of the guidance and the conversation.
Book your place
See the upcoming dates or contact us to organise a private session.
Phone and WhatsApp: 06 61 05 26 38
Materials included · Booking required