"No
city is legitimate if it takes away the dignity of those who live there" 1.
A
palimpsest, by definition entails the erasure of what was there before, of what
was in the past and claiming the foundation (either a parchment or monumental
brass plaque) for re-use.
But
as the American writer William Cuthbert Faulkner said "The past isn't dead
and buried. It isn't even past". Right now it seems we are living with the
global consequences of past decisions and are reaping the rewards in abundance.
In
Jerusalem, we can go back centuries, millennia even, as each successive
civilization puts down its roots in the land, laying the foundations for claim
and counterclaim for generations to come. As soon as we untangle one part there
is another layer of tangle underneath.
Fast
forward to 2017 and it's not just in Jerusalem that we see the past catching up
with us. From Iraq to Crimea, from Hong Kong, Africa, to the Americas. Across
the globe "policy makers seem to be confused and at a loss...politicians
and military leaders sound increasingly belligerent and defense doctrines more
dangerous" 2.
A
few years ago, on a gable end wall in west Jerusalem I saw a work of graffiti
art that said "just forgive". It’s easy to say but much more
difficult to do. However, within a conflict, it can begin to happen when at
least one side realises that it can, and must, let go of exclusive claims to
persecution and discrimination; having the courage to recognise that others
have suffered too.
Just
recently I saw that the gable end wall has gone and with it the graffiti art.
Let us help its message survive.
About
the new work...
This
is what I am hinting at in new works such as Terminus or Beyond Borders. Breaking out of an existing narrow
mind-set is difficult, especially if we feel an injustice has been done against
us. There are many who feel that they are being discriminated against; some
with good reason. We should seek that everyone is treated not the same but with
equality (there is a difference).
However,
seen from a long-standing position of perceived superiority and
privilege-by-right, being given equal treatment will of course seem like being discriminated against. When the pie
starts to shrink, those holding such views will do everything possible to hang
on to their (unequal) share, or even increase it. And the only way they can do that
is to make sure everyone else gets less.
The new etching [L f.Gk nostos - return home] returns also to my opening sentiment. No city or society, no government, country or nation is legitimate if it takes away the dignity of those who live there.
As the character Soloman in
James Swallow's Nomad said, "In a lawful, moral society, it is the
responsibility of the rich man to see that the poor man does not starve. It is
the responsibility of the strong man to see that the weak man is not preyed
upon."
1. Garbiel Vallecillo Marques, Honduran film maker
2. Mikhail Gorbachev, Former Premier of the Soviet Union
.
