Vertical Gardening'10

Refugee camp of Jalazoun / West Bank.

The second part of the project Vertical Exile-West Bank is developing into a community garden called Vertical Gardening. The first gardening project took place in the refugee camp of Jalazoun in the West Bank, 26 of September to 26 of October 2010.

(Facebook Vertical Gardening'10)

(Video)

After the creative and inspiring process we had with the community of Jalazoun refugee camp in April 2009 in Vertical Exile, we return with a new project: Vertical Gardening.

Vertical Gardening is a way to take advantage from the space, to plant on the roofs, windows and walls of the refugee camp, with the objective of embellishing the camp and possible making a micro-economy.

We think of the project as a fantasy in reality, with the aim to develop tools and strategies for gardening in vertical spaces. And one of our main objectives is to let different knowledge and experiences meet in a process where the expertise in the camps, who’s citizens to a large extent have to be experts on survival with a minimum of resources, co-operates with ideas and concepts within contemporary architecture and art practices. The project therefore is not defined out of an already existing knowledge that we wish to bring; we prefer to think of the work as a process of mutual teaching and learning that will produce new knowledge on both sides.

Together with the students of architecture of Birzeit University, volunteers from the camp, artists and architects from Palestine and Scandinavia, and the experts in agriculture from Palestine, we devote one month of discussions, research and workshops creating this garden.

A Public Eye project in cooperation with Karama Center, Riwaq, Qatan Foundation, Agricultural Relief, Professor Munir Fasheh, Ali Hassuneh, Saed Dagher, Samar Al Nazer, Yazid Anani, Khaldon Bshara, Fida Touma, Women Center & Popular Committee from Jalazoun, Palestinian Circus, Anders Paulin, Sara Gebran, Ylva Henrikson, Ulrika Zeuthen, Khaled Nakhlah, Khaled Sabbah, Fayez Khalili, Yhya Awaad, Mahmood Zuher, Sameera Malaka, Haneen Nakhleh, Hareth ilayan, Musaa'b Nakhleh, Bilal Sami, Isra' Matar, Mohammad Safi, Mohammad Yahya, Mohammad Abo Okka, Moshera, Yosra Nakhleh, Manal Dabor, Sami, Jiahia, Amani, Orabi Nakhleh, Bashar Hassuneh as coordinator, the 16 students of architecture from University of Birzeit as: Anwar Jarb, Diala Isib, Faiq Mari, Hiba Burkan, Iyad Zammo, Sara Khasib, Iman T, Mohammaed A.rub, Lama Shama,. Marwa, Muhammed Hanabi, Mohammaed Qattoush, Omar Shanti,,Ramzi Hazboun, Hafez Omar, as coach Nura Khalili, the children and other people from the community of Jalazoun.

Support: Swedish Institute, Dramatiska Institutet/SIDA, The Swedish Arts Grants Committee, Danish Art Council & Copenhagen International Theatre.