Poetry Manifesto
In the face of forced disappearance, only words remain.
We designed this reflective space inside the chapel as a gesture of solidarity with the resilient and inspiring people standing against oppressive regimes. We hold the people of Palestine, Sudan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Lebanon and Yemen in our hearts, and we designed this space to foster a sense of togetherness.
We invite you to immerse yourself in the poetry and prose that weave through this participatory reflective space and to contribute your words to this growing poetry manifesto.
Take a card, add your words and leave it in the space. Your contributions will become part of this evolving site-specific installation.
في مواجهة الاختفاء القسري وحدها الكلمات تبقى
صممنا مساحة التأمل هذه داخل الكنيسة كبادرة تضامن مع الشعوب الصامدة والمُلهمة التي تقف ضد الأنظمة القمعية، ونحن نحمل شعب فلسطين والسودان والعراق وسوريا وليبيا ولبنان واليمن في قلوبنا، وقد صممنا هذه المساحة لتعزيز الشعور بالتآزر
ندعوكم إلى الانغماس في الشعر والنثر اللذين ينسابان عبر مساحة التأمل التشاركية هذه والإسهام بكلماتكم في هذا البيان الشعري المتنامي
كل ما عليكم فعله هو أخذ بطاقة وإضافة كلماتكم إليها ثم تركها في مساحة التأمل، وستصبح إسهاماتكم جزءاً من هذا التركيب الفني المتنامي
In this piece, Helen represents a Syrian social tradition where family members look at their empty coffee cups and try to read the patterns left by the sediments of coffee at the bottom, to predict their future. The piece was made with the history of Palestine in mind, through the watermelon design, which has become widely known to represent the colours of the Palestinian flag. The hope and prediction for an end to the ongoing genocide can be read in a coffee-ground message inside the cup. Painted in Arabic is the word “Hurriya,” which means “Freedom”.
هيلين
تمثل هيلين في هذه القطعة تقليداً اجتماعياً سورياً حيث ينظر أفراد العائلة إلى فناجين القهوة الفارغة ويحاولون قراءة الأشكال التي تتركها رواسب القهوة في الأسفل للتنبؤ بمستقبلهم. صُنعت القطعة مع الأخذ في الاعتبار تاريخ فلسطين، من خلال تصميم ألوان البطيخة التي أصبحت معروفة على نطاق واسع بأنها تمثل ألوان العلم الفلسطيني. حرية هي الكلمة المكتوبة في قعر الفنجان رسالة أمل وحلم بإنهاء الإبادة الجماعية المستمرة
The poem “If I Must Die” by the Palestinian writer, poet, professor and activist, Refaat Alareer, is the inspiration for this piece. Shortly after writing it, he was killed by an Israeli air strike on Gaza.
At the bottom of each kite tail, is the name and age of a child killed in Gaza. Children from the same family are placed together and in one frame, all eleven kites hold the names of children from just one family. The size of the kite reflects the age of the child. There is one large kite, this one is to represent the only adult included in the piece – Refaat Alareer.
These art pieces placed in the reflective space and adding colours and new generation’s energy are created by Miriam Addada, Zineb Dinia, Chantal Makar, Jasmine Lasafar, Chagla Mehmet, and Alina El Assadi.
During a creative workshop, members of Young Shubbak came together to celebrate and reflect on the cultural heritage of countries from the MENA region experiencing conflicts. The aim was to honour and represent the rich symbols, architecture and customs these regions hold without concentrating on destruction.
The art pieces placed in the architecture and on the shroud portray Sudan, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon and Libya.
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