ART Habens
Beth Krensky
I don’ t really have a usual process; however, I do often base my work on something that has social or environmental significance, is authentic and is conceptually rooted in a socio-historical history of place. Sometimes I gather information for years before I start to create and sometimes I create without even knowing why.
Where is the Road to the Road was created for an exhibition at the Mahmoud Darwish Museum in Ramallah. The performance was inspired by a line in his poem, A Noun Sentence. I was especially drawn to the second half of the poem:
… Wishing for the present tense a foothold for walking behind me or ahead of me, barefoot. Where is my second road to the staircase of expanse? Where is futility? Where is the road to the road? And where are we, the marching on the footpath of the present tense, where are we? Our talk a predicate and a subject before the sea, and the elusive foam of speech the dots on the letters, wishing for the present tense a foothold on the pavement... 93
These words cause me to ponder where we are headed during this time of futility, growing hatred and unrest. We seem to be wandering aimlessly looking for the road to the road that can lead us in a new direction. This piece is intended as a performative gesture for me to find my way as well as for others to engage in the metaphorical journey. In particular, I am referencing the contested land of Israel and Palestine. For me, it has become a metaphor for the multiple layers of shared existence over time and place and how we choose to interact with such a layered history. I think
Skirt of Sorrow and Forgiveness
the time has come to forge a new road, one created by walking together.
Where Is the Road to the Road? is draws its name from a Mahmoud Darwish’ s poem: we have highly appreciated the way your approach goes beyond a merely interpretative aspect of the contexts you refer to. As the late Franz West did in his installations, the
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