1- “CHAOS”
The unorganized room represents the chaos in her life.
The footsteps represent the various stages we go through in life as well as the traces we leave behind. They also mirror our memories that we keep in mind even though some may get lost.
The flowers symbolize the different kinds of beauty one can find in humans, while the thorns represent the ugliness in them. You can find beauty in people from out side but ugly from inside and vise versa. The physical appearance does not reflect the heart of a person.
The wooden model is meant to be the Dome of Rock which represents Jerusalem for all the Palestinians.
The figures that wear Arabic customs represent the Palestinian people who are trying to climb up and reach Jerusalem. Some of the ropes have many knots and others have less, and this indicates that some people have the chance to reach the city easier that others.
This installation mirrors the Arabic obsession of having a male child to carry on the family’s name for generations to come. The small candles stand for the girls in the family who were born first, while the largest candle with the glued pictures is for the boy who was born after. This piece expresses the feeling of girls in the Arabic families who feel devalued and inferior.
A white dress represents her martyr cousin who, in her opinion, became an angel. The white color of the dress stands for purity, innocence and peace. On it, the student glued pictures of different stages of her cousin’s life to show him as a normal smiling child with an ordinary and peaceful childhood. Finally, she hanged the dress at the half-opened door, as if the door separates between life and heaven.
The Student transformed the map of Palestine into a puzzle. While some of the puzzle pieces were kept on the map, the rest of the pieces of this puzzle were dispersed on the floor, wall and ceiling. She marked the shape of the Palestinian map under the puzzle with soil.
This piece refers to the mistakes people make in the Palestinian society, a small society where everyone knows everyone.
Some people remain stuck in the mistakes they made while others move on. Each one gets stuck at a different level. We can see their foot prints as they manage to pass through, even though the mud will cover their shoes. Mistakes are hard to be erased and forgotten in a society like ours.
Injustice is dominating the world. The black (symbolizing injustice) is heavier than the white (justice) on the scale.
The Student turned sixteen on the same day of the exhibition opening.
Her installation resembles a birthday party. The cake, the piano, the balloons and the chocolate pieces were to show her happiness about becoming sixteen.
She is now eligible for identity card, which she is anxious to have as she has the cover of it on the cake. As a sixteen year-old girl, her responsibilities in life become larger and the community is likely to see her as an adult and not a child.
A sad face is installed in the corner while spring wires are coming out of its head in order to show the various thoughts a teenager has. On each spring wire lays a typed small card with the thoughts and concerns such as: teachers, schools, lies, life, success, and mistakes.
A flower which somebody picked petals from is to refer to the way people use the petals to make a decision. He loves me, he loves me not.
This installation mirrors two ideas: the difficulty of making a decision and the tough love you may demonstrate towards someone else you love.
The student translated her name “Jumana” which means pearl in Arabic into an installation.
The Student used soil and a stone to symbolize a place she lived in, a childhood home. One can smell a nice perfume coming out of the installation which relates to the spirit of the place.
The handkerchief symbolizes the sadness and the yearning to the past.
The student installed a ladder and on each step she put a small card written on it one of her aims and goals in life: passing the General Governmental Tawjeehi Exams, earning a university degree, achieving success in work, establishing a family, and finally going to heaven.
This piece refers to the School’s old uniform, which seems that the girls like it more than the new one. She hanged two dresses and wrote on them some of her memories with the uniform; also she hanged pictures of her and her classmates wearing the uniform.
This piece is considered more as a sculpture. It symbolizes the tragedy of tsunami.
It was the biggest most recent catastrophe that mankind have experienced from nature, with almost 250,000 lives lost. The student was trying to say that with this catastrophe, one cannot blame anyone as we do in politics. It is the never ending question of “WHY”.
The student used the colors red and black in order to manifest two kinds of love.
The heart with the broken glass and thorns represent the red side which is the hardest way to pass through but the only way to experience true love. The black side is the easiest to take but full of lies.
The poem says that true love does not take or give except from itself, it does not possess and no one possess it. It is enough that it is love. If it comes to you, you should follow it even if its way is thorny.
Valentine’s Day was two days away of the exhibition opening day; the girls used all of Valentine’s symbols to look forward to this day.
This installation aims to indicate the inability to express one’s opinion freely and democratically in Arabic societies. The people’s mouths are closed and only one voice is heard, that of the leader saying “In the name of people”.
While working on the installation art project, the girls realized that it is more innovative and effective to work in groups rather than working individually.
They used the exhibition’s invitation cards, which have their group picture to make a pyramid shape. They wanted to tell the audience that their group work, their collaboration and communication helped them to understand one another and eventually to realize a great exhibition.
