Emily Jacir uses exchange – commercial, political, cultural
and personal – as a means of easing the burden of living
in an environment where movement is made impossible. Because
she holds a US passport, Jacir is allowed to travel between
Israel and Palestine, although she still has to pass through
the many checkpoints and border patrols. A substantial number
of her fellow Palestinians, however, have found themselves living
in exile, unable to return to their homeland. This restriction
of movement and freedom has formed the basis of Jacir’s
artistic practice.
As part of a series entitled Where We Come From (2002–2003),
Jacir asked Palestinians living in Israel: 'If I could do anything
for you, anywhere in Palestine, what would it be?' She received
responses ranging from simple practical requests to highly emotional
pleas. One man who was denied entry to Jerusalem requested:
'Go to my mother’s grave in Jerusalem on her birthday and
put flowers and pray.' Another asked: 'Go on a date with a Palestinian
girl from East Jerusalem that I have only spoken to on the phone.'
Jacir attempted to fulfill these requests and then documented
her activities with simple snapshots. For a man named Mahmoud,
she went to an Israeli post office in a part of Jerusalem he
was not allowed to enter, simply to pay his phone bill. Jacir's
ongoing project provides one model for the way singular, personal
gestures might attempt to heal the wounds of a bitter conflict.
In Crossing Surda (a record of going to and from work)
(2002), Jacir documented the everyday effects of living in a
restricted and administered territory. She filmed her commute
to work for eight days, including her passage through the Israeli
checkpoint where she had her passport thrown in the mud.
In From Texas with Love (2002), Jacir echoed her previous
question by asking Palestinians what music they would choose
if they could drive non-stop across their country for one hour.
She compiled their suggestions on a soundtrack, and played it
during an uninterrupted journey across Texas. The resulting
film is a view through the car's windscreen accompanied by Jacir’s
compilation.
Emily Jacir (born 1970 in Palestine) lives and works in New
York and Ramallah.
