by DAAR, Palestine 2011, 14 '
| CAMERA: Cressida Kocienski, Ghassan Bannoura | LANGUAGE: English | |
| EDITING: Cressida Kocienski, Ghassan Bannoura |
Presented at Lo schermo dell'arte Film Festival 2015
This video by DAAR (Decolonizing Architecture Art Residency) illustrates a reflection on the building that was to have become the Palestinian Parliament (but which was never used), on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The search for the structure’s true geographic location represents the beginning of the collective’s thorough study of the spaces set aside for political participation, intended to represent the geographic, political and social conditions of a community’s extra-territoriality. Inside the currently abandoned building, the act of reconstructing the borderline between Palestine and Israel demarcates a precise non-place. The passage from cartographic space to real space finds material and identificational repercussions in the community, and becomes a metaphor for historic and existential suspension, and deep uncertainty: the seemingly fine red line drawn on maps is thus transformed into a real place with strong visual and aesthetic impact, and becomes a genuine spatial concept.
DAAR (Decolonizing Architecture Art Residency)
An architectural Collective formed in Bethlehem in 2007, with headquarters in Beit Sahour, Palestine, DAAR works on the re-use and transformation of colonial architecture: from evacuated ex-military bases, to the transformation of refugee camps, unfinished government buildings, and the ruins of villages destroyed by war. Their works have been shown in many expositions, biennials and museums, including the Biennale di Venezia, the Istanbul Biennial, the Rotterdam Architectural Biennial, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Modern, London. Their projects have been published in several international publications, including The New York Times, Artforum, Domus, Al Ayyam. In 2010, their group show won the Prince Claus Prize for architecture.
This video by DAAR (Decolonizing Architecture Art Residency) illustrates a reflection on the building that was to have become the Palestinian Parliament (but which was never used), on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The search for the structure’s true geographic location represents the beginning of the collective’s thorough study of the spaces set aside for political participation, intended to represent the geographic, political and social conditions of a community’s extra-territoriality. Inside the currently abandoned building, the act of reconstructing the borderline between Palestine and Israel demarcates a precise non-place. The passage from cartographic space to real space finds material and identificational repercussions in the community, and becomes a metaphor for historic and existential suspension, and deep uncertainty: the seemingly fine red line drawn on maps is thus transformed into a real place with strong visual and aesthetic impact, and becomes a genuine spatial concept.
DAAR (Decolonizing Architecture Art Residency)
An architectural Collective formed in Bethlehem in 2007, with headquarters in Beit Sahour, Palestine, DAAR works on the re-use and transformation of colonial architecture: from evacuated ex-military bases, to the transformation of refugee camps, unfinished government buildings, and the ruins of villages destroyed by war. Their works have been shown in many expositions, biennials and museums, including the Biennale di Venezia, the Istanbul Biennial, the Rotterdam Architectural Biennial, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Modern, London. Their projects have been published in several international publications, including The New York Times, Artforum, Domus, Al Ayyam. In 2010, their group show won the Prince Claus Prize for architecture.