A decade ago, I inherited a box of souvenirs from my Great Grandmother. The collection, which remained in our family for forty years, contained bottles of sand and water from Israel and Palestine. I saw these relics as monuments to a time and place removed by generational and geographical distance. To bridge the distance I embarked on my own journey.
I went on pilgrimage to return the relics to their homeland. Through my research of dislocation and homecoming in Israel and Palestine, my curiosity piqued on the negative effects of Nationalism and its contribution to the division of people groups and disenfranchisement. This lead me to the scarred terrain of Northern Ireland, where flags are used as signs of territorial aggression.
Just as these works are preliminary models for larger pieces, they also act as prototypes for dialogue: How do we wrestle through implications of displacement, migration and homecoming while living in contested territory?
The search for a Promised Land continues.
Photo by Jenny HawkinsonPhoto by Jenny HawkinsonPhoto by Jenny Hawkinson
A decade ago, I inherited a box of souvenirs from my Great Grandmother. The collection, which remained in our family for forty years, contained bottles of sand and water from Israel and Palestine. I saw these relics as monuments to a time and place removed by generational and geographical distance. To bridge the distance I embarked on my own journey.
I went on pilgrimage to return the relics to their homeland. Through my research of dislocation and homecoming in Israel and Palestine, my curiosity piqued on the negative effects of Nationalism and its contribution to the division of people groups and disenfranchisement. This lead me to the scarred terrain of Northern Ireland, where flags are used as signs of territorial aggression.
Just as these works are preliminary models for larger pieces, they also act as prototypes for dialogue: How do we wrestle through implications of displacement, migration and homecoming while living in contested territory?
The search for a Promised Land continues.