Two Within Close Range, 2009-10
Video (15 min.), double screen projection, C-print (50 x 70 cm)
Two Within Close Range is an investigation of urban spaces that remain private or inaccessible despite their public significance. The urban structures and familiar places that appear in the work—a park and a construction site with a disputed past—are used to reflect the sociopolitical issues in the area outside the walled city of Jerusalem. Instead of remaining invisible and unnoticeable in the everyday environment, aspects of contemporary experience of place are revealed through observation of the usage patterns of the selected sites, the Rockefeller Garden and the Nusseibeh building. In this way, they become the centre of attention.
The two sites are represented through still images, video, and 8 mm film, which correspond to written narratives that attempt to rewrite and expand the already existing oral histories of these places. The narratives deal with the recent past of the area, as well as historical and political topics, through a more descriptive and spatial approach. By using official information, personal stories collected from inhabitants of the area, and fictional elements, a mix of voices and positions combine to reproduce and examine recent, and at times unnoticed, history.
Two Within Close Range is commissioned by ArtSchool Palestine and Gallery Al Hoash – Palestinian Art Court, 2009 – as a part of the exhibition The Other Shadow of the City, curated by Samar Martha.
The film installation was presented at Liverpool biennale 2010 As a part of the City States “Future Movements” (representing Jerusalem) curated by Samar Martha.
Supported by the Danish Arts Council.