Re-imagining Gaza: Youth Photo Exhibit & Films Premiere :: Aug 1st
Nitin Sawhney is Assistant Professor of Media Studies in the Department of Media Studies and Film at the New School. His research, teaching and creative practice engages the critical role of technology, artistic interventions and DIY cultures among communities in contested spaces. He previously taught at the MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology (ACT) and conducted research at MIT on networked collaboration for sustainable product design, ubiquitous and wearable computing, speech/auditory interfaces, and responsive media in urban community spaces. At the MIT Center for Civic Media, Nitin co-founded the Department of Play to design participatory mobile video (the Aago Project) and pedagogical tools to support creative expression and civic agency among marginalized youth. He is currently working on a feature-length documentary film, Flying Paper, about the participatory culture of kite making and flying among children in the Gaza Strip. The film was awarded a seed grant from the National Geographic All Roads Film Project. He recently began a pilot research study in the West Bank and Gaza on the role of participatory media for resilience and civic agency among youth living in conditions of conflict and crisis.
Re-imagining Gaza: Youth Photo Exhibit & Films Premiere :: Aug 1st
The “Re-imagining Project” is a program of digital video, photography and storytelling workshops that supports Palestinian children and youth in expressing their cultural identity, personal narratives, and creative visions through participatory digital media.
The photo exhibit and screening events showcase work emerging from two 3-week digital media and storytelling workshops conducted from July 4 – 25, 2010 with 10-15 year old children, in collaboration with the Women’s Program Center in Jabaliya refugee camp, Gaza and the Al Aroub Play and Animation Center in Al Aroub refugee camp, West Bank.
West Bank Event: Al Aroub Camp, Hebron, July 29, 2010
Gaza Event: Al Mat’haf, Sodaniya, Beach Road, Gaza
Photo Exhibit: August 1st – 13th, 2010
Exhibit Opening Reception and Film Screenings:
Sunday 5:30pm – 8:30pm, August 1, 2010
The program has been conducted by Voices Beyond Walls with community centers in refugee camps in the West Bank since 2006. In June-July 2010, the project was launched in Gaza in collaboration with Les Enfants, Le Jeu et l’Education (EJE) and participating community centers.
The program is led by an international and local team of filmmakers, artists, photographers, educators, and youth community animators. The project is supported in part by Les Enfants, Le Jeu et l’Education (EJE), Sharek Youth Forum, Tamer Institute, Canaan Institute for New Pedagogy, the French Cultural Center in Gaza, UNRWA, the MIT Center for Future Civic Media, and the Genevieve McMillan-Reba Stewart Foundation.
The photo exhibition is hosted at Al Mat’haf (the Museum), a one-of-a-kind recreation and cultural center that showcases Gaza’s rich historical past and seamlessly blends it into the context of contemporary life in Gaza. At a time when many in Gaza have forgotten its rich cultural heritage, Al-Mathaf aims to preserve the region’s historical treasures, provide a venue for modern cultural dialogue, and support the new generation in creating a brighter future.
More on our blog: http://voicesbeyondwalls.blogspot.com
