new blog address

I've moved my blog to a new server. check out my diggs.....
http://maryrachel.wordpress.com

Wafaa Bilal--Domestic Tension

Currently Wafaa Bilall, an Iraqi-born artist, is living in Flatfile Galleries granting art patrons the opportunity to have a chat with him, or shoot him.

From Crudeoils.us "In Domestic Tension, viewers can log onto the internet to contact, or shoot, Bilal with paintball guns. Bilal’s objective is to raise awareness of virtual war and privacy, or lack thereof, in the digital age. During the course of the exhibition, Bilal will confine himself to the gallery space. During the installation, people will have 24-hour virtual access to the space via the Internet. They will have the ability to watch Bilal and interact with him through a live web-cam and chat room. Should they choose to do so, viewers will also have the option to shoot Bilal with a paintball gun, transforming the virtual experience into a very physical one. Bilal’s self imposed confinement is designed to raise awareness about the life of the Iraqi people and the home confinement they face due to the both the violent and the virtual war they face on a daily basis. This sensational approach to the war is meant to engage people who may not be willing to engage in political dialogue through conventional means. Domestic Tension will depict the suffering of war not through human displays of dramatic emotion, but through engaging people in the sort of playful interactive-video game with which they are familiar."

The Dead Sea Has Arrived

To my friends and family:

Remember how you asked about my first trip to the West Bank? And how I told you I was writing about one day and that would sum it up? Well, I've finally finished a dense, rambling, journal entry. Not a bad construction from memory since I accidentally left my journal in a plane at Frankfort Airport.

Maybe something from December will arrive by Summer.

If you look to the right under "Narratives," all 6 posts are under "The Dead Sea." The beauty of Blogger is that you can manipulate posting times so they actually read in sequential order.

Haneen and Zuzu Make a Plan For the Checkpoint (shot by Rozalinda)

One thing I would like to pre-emptively express is that my experience was privileged, seeing as our friends who took us had ID's that said "Bethlehem" and "Beit Hanoun"....as opposed to "Hebron" and "Nablus." But I think you'll get the picture.....

Matthew Cassel and Picture Balata

Matt has facilitated a stunning project in the West Bank called Picture Balata.

From the website:

"Outside the West Bank City of Nablus lies the Balata Refugee Camp. Home to almost 25,000 residents living on less than one square kilometer, Balata is the more densely populated Refugee Camp within the West Bank. In recent years, Balata has seen hundreds of deaths and arrests, dozens of home demolitions and the camp is subject to near-nightly invasions by the Israeli Army. It is here the Picture Balata workshop was started to teach youth from the camp about photography.

Picture Balata puts the camera into the hands of the children born and raised inside the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Participants ranging from ages 11 to 18 photograph their situation as they live in Balata Refugee Camp."

For more info check out http://picturebalata.net or watch the video below.

yes, virginia.....sama has proof of Santa.

I know you've been waiting for this. Here is a video from Sama Alshaibi's blog of our ride through Bethlehem.

(I counted 6 santas....and yes, you busted me listening to Journey)

back from the holidays in palestine

I had to temporarily remove "sensitive" material from the blog so I could get in and out of Tel Aviv. Will put everything back plus some more in the next few days.

I am swimming in contact sheets and audio clips.

But for now, know that Christmas does exist in Palestine. In fact, Jesus was born in the West Bank. Here are some skinny santas in Bethlehem. They jump on car hoods to give you candy. new site: http://openbethlehem.org