Ardawaء focuses on healing the land that was once the Dar Jacir Urban Farm. The project asks: What is this small piece of the terrace at the edge of the street in Bethlehem city wishing for? This question is the spark for this healing discovery.
Ardawaء is the exploration of the possibility of bringing the land (Ard) the remediation (Dawaa’) it longs for. For the last several decades, this land—at the edge of the street—has been left vulnerable to clashes, exposed to all kinds of bombs, sprayed skunk-water, and fires, in addition to the regular city pollutants. Maybe we can’t “see” or “hear” the obvious result of all this distortion and violence to the receptive and silent earth’s skin, that holds us above it, feeds us, and provides us with everything we actually consume. Can we heal this soil and have a peaceful companionship with it? And how?
The first phase included the creation of a blog in Arabic to document the progress of the project and related research. The work included taking soil samples, engineering a DIY soil extractor, and the documentation and study of all the opportunistic plants already growing on the terrace. A bioremediation plan was put into action, the land was weeded and cleared, and a digital archive was created for all materials.
Artist Assistant: Samer Barbari
Intern: Yazan Oweineh (student at Al-Quds Bard)