! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! SITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Taking part over 4 days the House of Annetta, a community space dedicated to spatial justice, generously agreed to host us; a collective of craft makers, artists, art therapists from all backgrounds drawn to exhibit and donate their work exploring themes of peace, resistance, and healing to raise funds for The United Nations Relief Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA).
At the heart of the project is the work of Sevim Metin, an educator, artist and doll-maker from London whose interactive piece, ‘They Don’t Want To Open Their Eyes’ will be launched. The work invites members of the public to learn how to make part of a doll in a free workshop. What is created will be exhibited with the hope that newly skilled doll-makers then create their own circles, repeating the process to manifest a circle of solidarity through community engagement which has already started and will continue on after the exhibition ends. A version of this project will also take place simultaneously in Israel, led by our activist friend Talya.
This is not a war between two states fighting each other with parity; this is a Genocide* and so a war on Palestinian children, families, land, freedom and sovereignty. Ultimately it is also a war on us all. These small, exquisite uncompleted sculptures symbolise all theirs and ours unfinished, unrealised thoughts, hopes and dreams and will be surrounded in contrast by completed works by our talented group of artists!