This post was contributed by Dalia Bar–Amotz, curator, kibbutz Ma’abarot. Dalia supervised FoEME’s Water Trustees in creating the colorful collage.
During the weekend of July 16th an extraordinary artistic activity was hosted by Friends of the Earth Middle East: the creation of a giant colorful collage by FoEME’s “water trustees”. Israeli youth from Emek Hefer, Ein Gedi, Tsur Hadassah and Baqa Al-Gharbiya, Palestinian youth from Jericho and Jordanian youth from South Gour cooperated in creating the work under the guidance of curator Dalia Bar – Amotz and the artist Gadi Kozic. The project was part of FoEME’s annual CGIS youth camp and took place at Kibbutz Ma’abarot, in the Emek Hefer Community, on the banks of the Alexander River.
Photographs from the Alexander River and other water sources in Palestine and Jordan were adapted and printed in purpose to serve as a basis for the collage. They inspired the kids to use their own imagination to create paintings focused on the theme of water conservation and purification.
The paintings made were based on presentations of the “water trustees”, showing the environmental hazards their communities deal with. For example, youth from Tsur Hadassah, Israel and Wadi Fuqin, Palestine, have found they share the problem of pollution of the Mountain Aquifer and together they can raise awareness in the community to solve this problem.
The paintings were put together into one giant piece and reflected the beauty as well as the problems shared among all three groups regarding their water resources.
The collage will be displayed at the Gesher Gallery as part of the art exhibition “An encounter on the water”, during the “Bridges over River” festival (24-26th of August).
FoEME’s CGIS-project (community Geographical Information Systems) takes place simultaneously in 17 Israeli, Palestinian and Jordan ian communities that share common water resources. Youth “water trustees” learn to identify, characterize and map environmental hazards in their communities, which may pollute water resources and constitute a health risk. Together, they turn to decision makers and raise awareness in the community to maintain shared water sources.
Please visit our Flickr page to view pictures of the creation of the collage.
More pictures can be found on the website of Kibbutz Ma’abarot.
Related blog posts:
FoEME’s CGIS Teenagers Take Responsibility for their Shared Environment
Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli youth elaborate environmental campaign during joint camp
