Artists in Residence - kunstnerbolig - i Palestinerleiren

15. november 2011

Den palestinske teltleiren ved Kulturkirken Jakob i Oslo inviterer kunstnere - musikere, malere, fotografer, scenekunstnere, forfattere, andre - til å bo i leiren i desember. Hvor lenge avgjør man selv - én dag, to dager, to uker. Palestinerne tilbyr kalde netter, godt selskap og møtet med papirløs virkelighet.

 

 

what it feels like not to be free, and not to have a voice?
what it feels like spending your life fighting for your freedom?
what it feels like to have a voice that only you can hear?
what it feels like to face reality?

In short, this is us. We are Palestinian (Stateless) asylum-seekers who came to Norway to seek protection. We believe in our right to live a dignified and secure life, and are still convinced that Norway will give us this life. In Palestine we have lived under political and military oppression. We grew up with war, destruction, siege, illegal settlements, and displacement. The wall robbed us of our land, our dignity, and our security.

Some of us have set up a Palestinian refugee camp in Hausmannsgate 14 in Oslo, in order to make the Norwegian people aware of how Palestinian asylum seekers are treated. We have now lived in the streets of Oslo since May 24^th 2011. The camp has become a symbol of both Palestinian asylum seekers and irregular immigrants in Norway. The camp itself has become a unique environment.

We now invite artists to take up residence in Palestinerleiren in Hausmannsgate 14! Starting from December we will welcome artists from various fields; musicians, painters, photographers, performers, writers, etc. to live with us in the camp. We offer a unique opportunity to experience daily life in the camp with its mixture of political, social and personal agendas. Be inspired in your artwork by experiencing our life conditions and seeing firsthand what it is like to be an asylum seeker and an illegal immigrant; how it feels to be an irregular immigrant without an identity.

The camp will inspire you in your artwork. We hope that you will make art in the camp and involve the community by making exhibitions or invite the public to see art in progress.

We offer:

• One day, two days, two weeks stay in the camp in December (with a possibility of prolonging the stay if the camp stays)
• The camp and the inhabitants of the camp as inspiration and material for your art work
• Cold nights
• Inspiring environments
• Good company
• No hot showers
• A life changing experience
• As the camp has no funds, the artists need to help out with preparing and getting food

Life in the camp is hard. Candidates should have a strong health and be prepared to rough it out.

Application:
See application form here.
Application deadline: November 30^th

The names of the chosen candidates will be published on palestinerleir.no the first week of December. The candidates will be chosen by a board consisting of members of the camp and local artists.