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Art Project
Statement
Chance brought me together with seven Palestinian women in a
white Ford van as they were waiting for one more passenger
before embarking on the journey to find a route to get them to
Jerusalem, hoping to make it in time for noon prayers on the
second Friday during the month of Ramadan. When I entered the
vehicle, the driver took us towards the Qalandia checkpoint
where we found thousands more like us who, after being prevented
from entering Jerusalem, had decided to take the “roundabout
route,” as the Ford drivers call it, disregarding its dangers …
looking beyond the danger. We set off on our journey to
Jerusalem. The search began for a gap in the Wall through which
we could cross to the other side. After much difficulty and
hardship we found our goal - a tunnel. So we got out of the van
and continued on foot. We greatly hesitated before entering
because of the intense darkness of the tunnel and its very
narrow entrance. One could barely squeeze through because of the
huge boulders piled up by the soldiers at the entrance in an
effort to seal it. We were able to enter nonetheless. Dirty
water rose almost to our knees, making each step an adventure,
especially in the pitch-black, which was made more eerie by the
sound of a multitude of bugs and possibly mice. All this served
to heighten our sense of anticipation and, perhaps, fear. Above
all, none of us could be sure that this tunnel would lead to
somewhere on the other side. It could be completely sealed! The
pinpoint of light appearing at the end of the tunnel was not
enough to guarantee that we would reach our destination that
day. “The light at the end of the tunnel” was not merely a
figure of speech at the time - as is often the case within the
Palestinian context - it was a reality. That patch of light was
urging our footsteps towards it, giving us strength, resolve,
and determination, and cloaking the situation in dread and
gravity. In the tunnel I jumped … I began to walk slowly … I
stopped …
I hesitated to go on … then I continued. Bit by bit I found
myself halfway there. The seven women and I picked up the pace
towards that patch of light. It is a journey in passage. In my
mind I pondered the thought that life is just a bridge or a
passage, and that in life there is no immortality. It seemed to
me that the concept of temporary crossing or passage in life is
the only certainty, always maintaining its constant, neutral,
and frozen aspects. This journey following the steps of seven
women who were searching for a path to lead them to prayers in
Jerusalem - a path that was rough, dirty, and dark -provided me
not only with the idea for my art project and its material but
also with an exceptional emotional and spiritual journey,
greater than the distance of that tunnel-ferry. It is time; it
is light exploding at the end of the tunnel, appearing as a
flash glowing in the dark, manifesting as salvation - like a
gate leading from some temporary earthly world to a world with
no time. Despite all the signs and omens of death that surround
the place and dominate it, the hope of crossing and reaching the
other side is what gave this journey its meaning and purpose. It
gave us the motivation to carry out this silent march towards a
prayer different and contrary to the silence and dominance of
death. The words of those seven women, asking me not to
photograph them for fear that their images would be made public,
still ring in my memory.
Website:
http://khaledjarrar.com
Email:
kh.jarrar@gmail.com
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