Israel & Palestine Project

In April 2014 I volunteered on a permaculture farm in Palestine. The whole community had been involved and people of different cultures and religions were working together, Berbers, resettled refugees, Jehovah's witnesses, international volunteers making solar ovens, recycled furniture, and communal buildings out of glass bottles and mud. I met a fellow photographer called Maria and we went out on covert photography missions. We visited Hebron, Bethlehem, Herodia and saw evidence of the persecution of Palestinians by the Israeli authorities as well as the illegal occupation of Palestinian land to build Jewish settlements. My photographs from here do not exist. I was questioned for three hours upon my arrival in Israel from the UK before being given a two week visa for my visit. Apparently the Morroccan stamp on my passport was suspicious. I was advised by other volunteers not to keep the memory chip in my camera if it had photos which showed that I had been in Palestine as I would risk being deported and not allowed back into Israel for 10 years. Also if I had photos of Palestinian people with whom I had been aquainted, then the Israeli authorities could use the photos as evidence of "terrorist activities" another made up reason to imprison innocent young Palestinian men. I stayed in Jerusalem for a few days before my flight left from Tel-Aviv. My plan was to post my memory chip along with some souvenirs from Palestine which I had bought. I was met with a 3 day postal strike which ended after my flight left. I entrusted my package to a documentary film maker who I met in the youth hostel. I trust her, but nonetheless my package never arrived. Whilst in Jerusalem however I made a visit to the Wailing Wall, made a wish for peace which I stuck into the crevice of the Wailing Wall as is tradition, then went through a checkpoint, past hundreds of full body riot shields to The Dome Of The Rock and the Mount of Olives, complete with Israeli armed guards, and these photos I can show you, and they are above.

 For more info on the Palestine Solidarity Campaign please click here. 

Above -"Process" Giclee print showing monoprint on Collage process shown in A4 Aber exhibition, Old College Ruth Hogg. A4 Aber online catalogue

Above- Troed Y Rhiw Spa Day, documentation by Ruth Hogg. Research and Process by Joanna Bond, Naomi Heath and Ruth Hogg as part of Inseparability Of Human And Nature Project.

 

Above - "A Grain Of Sand" Poem from MA Anthology Book "A Grain Of Sand"

Above - Photograph by Ruth Hogg from "When Death Comes" Exhibition at The Island, Bristol 

Above - Still from film projection by Ruth Hogg, part of the interactive installation "The Seduction Of Art" at ::the studio::.

Images and documentation from "Golygu Golau " exhibition at ::the studio::

Documentation from "Bread And Roses" exhibition at ::the studio::