Here’s the initial idea, and a quick recap bellow:
Through various crossings, such as the occupation’s borders,
networks localities, technological physicalities, exchange sequences of time, networking and timing, surfing surfaces materialities (skateboarding), spoken, imagined and art archiving languages, cultural interpretations (eg anonymity as a cultural question), and other elements –
the project will facilitate artistic exchange activities that transgress
various borders, via aesthetics of exchanges.
The project offers possibilities for new and on-going cultural & artistic
connections and exchange sequences that will physically remain and keep
evolving in the area.
CommunityBoxes are small and localised PopUp internet technology hubs (see the little blue plastic box over the soap-dish.)
The CommunityBoxes technology offers sharing information Only within a specific physical location.
For this project, the core idea is to exchange artistic data/digital materials via community boxes between art and culture linked people in Palestine and residents of the Eternal Internet Brotherhood instance in the dead sea.
(dates – 02/04/2014 to 12/04/2014)
This exchange will, at the very least:
* Enable linking between artists in Palestine’s Palestinian Authority areas, and the artists in the Eternal Internet Brotherhood near the dead sea (EIB).
* Create localised data hubs that transgress & question borders of various kinds. (I think..) These data hubs, the CommunityBoxes, will form a legacy, elements of possible interest on the ground for people to come and experience as art.
The linking between local Palestinian artists and EIB’s dead-sea temporary residents by physically going between people, distributing CommunityBoxes and transferring art and art activity documentations among the participants. I will do that while skateboarding between locations.
Using the community boxes, people will be able to exchange art works/documentations/ideas/etc. and curate each others’ materials.
Each participating artist/group will be able to curate other participants’ materials freely into an archive-like digital gallery. This gallery will reside in each CommunityBox.
For example:
The EIB based people will get a community box into which they will curate works/materials by Palestinian artists. Participating Palestinian artists/groups/institutions will each get a community box to use for curating works/documentations/materials from the EIB. I hope that this will make the linking a process of equals where each participant can and will exercise their own artistic sensibilities fearlessly. (..indeed, the CommunityBoxes allow complete anonymity..)
If a given artist decides, for example, to curate out certain materials – this will not affect the possibilities of their works being included. They simply do what they’d really like..
The community boxes, with the art exhibitions installed, be it in digital forms, will be left in the areas of exchange.
Palestinian artists’ works will be in the israeli state controlled areas, and the curated EIB works that will be, in exchange, in Palestinian authority controlled areas.
The CommunityBoxes will reside safely – I hope – inside soap-dishes (as in image at the top..) and will be powered by solar panels.
This way, they will continue to operate and display the exchanges as well as offering a new context and cultural opportunities to evolve.
The CommunityBoxes locations will be available via a website. (This will indicate a rough location area.. People will still have to walk around a bit to pick up the wifi signal, but not necessarily see where the actual boxes are..)