Public Programme (PP)

In 2020, the Public Programme (PP) reorganized its plans to work around the ramifications of the pandemic. It introduced a number of new cultural projects during the onset of  COVID-19 that would support artists and mitigate the consequences of the pandemic, while also offering rich and interesting cultural materials for the public. In the second half of 2020, when holding events became possible, several public events, such as musical performances, exhibitions, and lectures were organized. Throughout the year, Programme continued to build and explore alternative platforms and modules for cultural production, in an attempt to proactively promote cultural action during the pandemic and beyond.

The following is an overview of the main events held by the Public Programme (PP) during the reporting period.

The “Forensic Architecture – Assembled Practices” exhibition was inaugurated through the Public Programme in January 2020, in partnership with Forensic Architecture (FA), which is a research agency based at Goldsmiths, University of London. The exhibition aimed to familiarize the public about the work methodologies of the Forensic Architecture (FA) agency, which uses architecture, law, arts, and other fields to expose state crimes. Only about 700 persons attended this exhibition [due to the COVID-19 pandemic], and more than 15 related tours were held by the curator, along with screening 3 films on the side-lines of this exhibition.

The “Weed Control” exhibition was inaugurated on September 1, 2020 with the participation of 33 artists, and attendance of 300 visitors, from Palestine and abroad. Tours related to the exhibition were organized for several Palestinian institutions and universities, along with organized tours for schoolteachers. This exhibition was visited by approximately 3,000 persons. Moreover, the “Weed Control” book (related to this exhibition) was distributed, whereas 33 artists and 10 writers contributed to it in both Arabic and English.

In cooperation with the Al Ma'mal Foundation for Contemporary Art in Jerusalem, an exhibition was held by Germany-based Palestinian artist Suzan Hijab. The exhibition presents a summary of Hijab’s professional career over four decades, with special focus on her artworks that use oil pastel on paper. This exhibition presents an extraordinary artist to the public (who, until recently, did not receive the significant attention that she deserves). This exhibition brought together more than 50 valuable artworks created by this outstanding artist.

A weekly film (cinema) program was introduced to show a number of classic European movies. This was among the audio-visual projects implemented by the Foundation in 2020. Within this framework, 6 films were screened in the first quarter of 2020, but this was put to a halt due to the pandemic. In addition to the said film program, the the “School Cinema” program was introduced and took place during January and February 2020, in partnership with the Educational Research and Development Programme (ERDP). Moreover, 4 films, produced by “Studio Ghibli”- Japan, [as few as four due to the pandemic] within the “Animation Films” theme (“Anime”) were screened. Once public gatherings were permitted 4 Egyptian films directed by Youssef Shaheen, were screened, as well as presenting a video installation by Naim Muhaimin titled “Two Meetings and a Funeral”.

Within the “Partnerships” Programme, and through a grant from Volkswagen Foundation, the multifaceted project “Liminal Spaces as Sites of Socio-Cultural Transformation and Knowledge Production in the Arab World” was successfully concluded. This project was implemented in cooperation with Mohammed V University in Morocco, Cairo University in Egypt, and Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient/ZMO [Modern Orient Center] in Germany. In this year (2020), work was initiated to publish a newspaper titled “Al Mubtada’”, with a contribution from 11 writers. This newspaper was the outcome of all relevant interventions and activities conducted by the Foundation in 2018 and 2019. Within this framework, authors Ahmed Jaber and Hakeem Khater were assigned as editors of the newspaper, overseeing both the content and structure of the newspaper as well as its production. Al Mubtada’ newspaper is expected to be published in 2021.

During the reporting period, the Public Programme implemented several rapid response projects to support artists and communicate with the public during the quarantine period. These interventions included the following: “On the Wall”, an initiative that collected and disseminated videos from different places in Palestine regarding the stories of paintings, family photos, historical objects, and other things hung on the walls of Palestinian houses, as well as explaining the importance of these pieces of evidence and telling the story being them; “Here is Palestine”, which provides an opportunity for artists and writers (from Palestine and abroad) to gain a wider exposure on social media and introduce the public to their works and artistic and intellectual orientations; “Your Window is our Window”, implemented by the programme in cooperation with the Qattan Child Centre in Gaza. This project targeted children aged 8-17 years to encourage them to produce artworks during the quarantine period by using environmentally friendly materials at home; “One Hour with…”, which presents one-hour electronic music concerts live on the Foundation’s Facebook page. A total of 5 electronic musicians participated in this project, whereas there was one such performance every week for two months.

On November 23, 2020, the programme launched a book titled “Weed Control” at the Foundation’s headquarters. This book was the outcome of a series of researches related to the “Weed Control” exhibition, and it included important letters found in a British archival file. These letters were communicated from the Chief Agricultural Officer at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries during the British Mandate in Jerusalem to the Imperial Chemical Industries Company (also known as “Almashreq Al Arabi”), whereas the purpose of these letters was to eliminate a number of Palestinian wild plants. The said file is available online in the Israeli archive website. The “Weed Control” book also includes literature (such as researches and personal descriptions) written by Palestinian authors and poets vis-à-vis the Palestinian landscape. The book also describes the journey of artists participating in the exhibition, along with presenting their ideas and works included in the exhibition. Moreover, a book titled: “Isolation, separation and quarantine” (edited by Jamil Hilal), was issued in Arabic and English; it discusses the social, economic, and political implications of the COVID-19 crisis at the Palestinian and global levels. This book contained 10 articles by 12 writers from Palestine, Canada, Germany, and United Kingdom. Also, the Coronaphone Project published issue 17 Magazine 28, which is a literary and cultural magazine issued by Hashtag Company for media and cultural productions in Gaza. With the contributions of several writers, the 17^th edition, was edited by Palestinian poet Dalia Taha, and discusses the current crisis; disruption of the global economic system; changes in people’s daily lives; shifts in global power relations and dynamics; and the implications of that on the cultural field in Palestine and abroad. This was part of a broad discussion on the complex Palestinian dilemma stemming from the global health crisis and the Israeli settler-colonial project. Within the same context, the programme held a ceremony for launching a book titled: “The Bereavement of Martyred Palestinian Children: Gendered, Religious and National Perspectives” by Maram Masarwi, on January 16, 2020. There was also the launching of a book titled “Incarcerated Childhood and the Politics of Unchilding” by Prof. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, on January 25, 2020.

The Foundation hosted Canadian researcher Max Haiven author of “Art after Money, Money after Art: Creative Strategies Against Financialization”, who gave a lecture at its premises and at at Al-Quds Bard College in Abu-Dis to talk about the “The Radical Imagination” book (which discusses the building of imagination and its effect on social change). Within the framework of the “Artist Talk” program, a lecture performance was held by Shuruq Harb, who presented her struggles and feelings of boredom in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Along the same line,  Rula Halawani gave a talk entitled “A Photographic Journey into Palestine”, which explores her creative path over the course of several decades. Moreover, as part of the Poetry program, 4 events were organized by poet/curator Maya Abu Alhayyat, titled “A Poem Everyday Keeps the Doctor Away”. This consisted of four performances that mixed dialogue with poetry, as well as valuable poetry readings by actors and actresses. With regard to the Seminars program, a one-day seminar titled “Solidarity of Art” [which highlights solidarity through art] was held, including presentations by Bojana Piskur, Mila Turajlić, Rasha Salti, Vera Tamari, Yazid Anani, Abaher El-Sakka, Fayez Sirsawi, Hanna Qubty. Also, within the framework of the “Culture in Crisis, Crisis in Culture” program, a series of online discussions in cooperation with Mosaic Rooms in London, 4 meetings were held remotely, hosting 16 distinguished speakers and experienced professionals from different cultural fields.