This Palestinian artist digitally erases the ground — full of landmines — under refugees' feet

'I wanted to turn it into a land that was not burdened by history and politics and trauma'

CBC Arts · September 22

Interrupt This Program

This Palestinian artist digitally erases the ground — full of landmines — under refugees' feet

"I think this project is about me dealing with my Palestinianness" 31:36

In May 2011, a group of Syrian refugees crossed an Israeli border over ground filled with landmines. In the video captured of the event, people yelled out, "Go back, go back, you're going to die."

When visual artist Mirna Bamieh saw footage of the border crossing, she remembers thinking how she "just wanted to remove the land from under their feet — to turn it into a land that was not burdened by history and politics and trauma."

From the other side they were telling them, 'Go back, go back, you're going to die.'- Mirna Bamieh

In response to their brave crossing, Bamieh digitally erased the land around their feet in her project 'This Mined Land of Ours' — resulting in a work where "their whole movement became sort of a dance in this whiteness."

Erasing land for a Palestinian is a very charged action.- Mirna Bamieh

As a Palestinian, this action had a particular power for her: "Erasing land for a Palestinian is a very charged action."

See more of Bamieh's powerful work in the full episode of Interrupt This Program: Jerusalem and catch up on Season 1 and 2 before Season 3 premieres October 13th with episodes in Mexico City, Nairobi, Jakarta, Chicago, Karachi and Warsaw.

Art as political protest, as a means of survival, as an agent of change, as a display of courage and delight. Interrupt This Program explores art in cities under pressure. Interrupt This Program Season 3 premieres October 13 at 8:30pm.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/interruptthisprogram/this-palestinian-artist-digitally-erases-the-ground-full-of-landmines-under-refugees-feet-1.4301400