Statement
This collaborative body of work consists of a film “Roots and Wings to Fly” and 2 installations – Sumud, which is interactive, and Believe in Freedom (installation/animation).
How it began:
PSC Lancaster have held a protest every Saturday, usually in Market Square, since November 2023. Art and Music was the theme of one protest so I explored issues around Palestine to create an installation. I came upon the Arabic word ‘Sumud’, meaning “steadfastness” or “perseverance”. Sumud is often used by Palestinians to refer to their commitment to stay rooted in the land and defy all attempts to drive them out. With its long history of rootedness in the land, the Olive tree is often seen as one of the most evocative symbols of Sumud.
It amazed me that one word could encompass so much. Sumud represents a pledge so, accompanied by my own small olive tree, I decided to use this word to engage the public and ask them to offer their own word/pledge for Palestine.
As the protest came to a close, Rilda Taneko approached me with a shoebox full of papier-mâché birds with added text in the form of positive affirmations for Palestine. These had been collected from people attending one of the Saturday demonstrations. Rilda asked, “What can we do with these?”
I had read about the writer and activist Ahmed Abu Artema and the Great March of Return (2018-2019). His inspiration had been watching birds fly freely and the concept behind “Believe In Freedom” developed from there.
I wanted some way to link the notion of Palestinians being rooted in the land as explored in Sumud (I give you my word) and the belief they could free themselves from the confines of their oppressive occupation imposed by Israel. The idea of a film quickly took shape and, in collaboration with Alyx Rigney, Rilda Taneko, Huda Alhaj and Chris Price, the film “Roots and Wings to Fly” – along with the animation which is a backdrop to “Believe in Freedom” – were created.