Ghostly Fragments is a body of work made up of three installations:
‘PRECIOUS FLOWERS’, “WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE” and “MOURNFUL HARVEST”
In Precious Flowers I confront my personal grief relating to the death of my husband. While there is no comparison between my grief and that of the Palestinian People their immense trauma has enabled me to connect more fully with mine.
The grieving period for my husband has been long and deep. Grief disassociation – the intense feeling of being here but not being here was a daily companion. The futility I felt as an Artist, a role I had always embraced with enthusiasm and passion, was one casualty. The ongoing Palestine tragedy has acted as a wake up call and reactivated my need to explore social, political and justice issues through the medium of art.
I offer these three installations as a vehicle, for those interacting with them, to wake up and stand in solidarity with Palestine (if they have not already done so).
Omar Barghouti (co-founder BDS movement) states what this means:
“Palestinians are not begging the world for Charity. We’re calling for meaningful impactful solidarity – and before both, we are demanding ending complicity as a profound ethical obligation”.
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee explores Western media’s complicity and bias in favour of Israel and is dedicated to the brave journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh.
Mournful Harvest, (a film installation), addresses the plight of olive farmers in the West Bank, particularly since 7th October 2023.
It felt apt in creating these installations, dedicated to Palestinians, to salvage fragments as they have done time and time again to rebuild their lives.
The Flowers, the “Gate” film and the Coffee Set are from previous artworks or ones I never created. They are from the ashes of another life – one before grief.
Christine Dawson
2024