Research

Designer research 1 and 2

Palestine culture and traditions: 

 

Language-

The five million Palestinians mostly follow the religion of Islam which follows the 5 pillars of Islam, attend weekly Friday prayers and celebrate Eid. Although the vast majority are Muslim there are roughly 2.5% are Christian, but other religions such as Judaism are also present. 98.7% of the country’s population mostly consists of Arabs, the most popular language that are spoken in this country is Arabic, however most speak a certain dialect known as Levantine or Shami. Despite how Palestine is portrayed in the western media, Palestinians hold standards of maintaining familial bonds. Whether it be distant or not, as solidarity provides a primary source of identity.

Palestine holds poetry and music dear to them as it helps them stay connected to their past. For example, Mawtini a poem created by Ibrahim Tuqan, later became would be known as the Palestinian National anthem. Some of the national foods include Maqloubah and kunafeh and many more. As the country is in the Mediterranean coast, which impacts on the Palestinian cuisine.

Ismail Shammout was a Palestinian artist who was born in Lod, Palestine in the year 1930 and died in Amman, Jordan on July 1st, 2006.

Odyssey of a People

                                         
                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

                                          

During the time of the Nakba when a lot of Palestinians were displaced and lost their homes because of the Israeli occupation, the occupation bombed homes, shot at homes to kill the Palestinian Martyrs, and also held the at gunpoint until they forced them out of their homes and they would leave them dead on the floor and steal their homes.  They would have to walk miles to get where they had no choice to go, some fled to Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt and some would even go to flee from country to country by foot to reach these

countries and would end up in refugee camps.

In the year 1950, he got a chance to go to Cairo, Egypt to study Art and would soon then earn a scholarship to study fine arts at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome, Italy.

His artwork was mostly based on the beauty of Palestine, the culture, the food, the clothes, and also as you see in the image below he also created artwork that represents the Palestinian people fighting for the freedom of their country and defending their country from the occupation and it shows them carrying weapons to defend themselves from the occupation and their weapons.

"Where To?"

 

It describes a father who is shattered from everything he has been through, lost everything because of occupation and was forced out of his home and the city (Lydda/Lod) he was living in with his family.  Also in the image we can see the father holding his children closely so that they don’t become lost and is taking care of his family very firmly and the bond within the family is stronger than before. 

Malak Mattar is born in the year 2000 in Gaza, Palestine. Malak studies Art as a part-time scholarship in the city of Istanbul at Aydin university. Malak’s target is to become an ambassador of her people in the west through her artwork.

 Born Of War: When Family Is The Only Shelter

Malak Started painting at the age of 13. In 2014, the Israeli military assaulted Gaza for 51 days, which caused Malak to stay at home for her safety. Feeling trapped in her own house and feeling the need to release her built up emotions.  

 

Unable to leave Gaza, Malak continued to paint about her hardship. Not only did she create over 300 paintings currently, but she also shared her work by using social media such as Instagram and Facebook. By the time she reached the age 14 she started sell her work.  

 

Also, the trauma she faced she not only was able to become financially stable but also excelled academically with the second-highest GPA.

Shifa

Mattar grew up in Gaza City, which is close to it port. Her father if from the village of Al Jorrah, which is now called Ashkelon, and worked in tge Palestinian foreign service, while her mother worked in UN Relief and Works Agency English Teacher, just outside Gaza. Mattar has experienced 4 wars since the age of 8 and her latest being in May 2021 on her visit to her family. Mattar always mentions how the trauma of war is something that she will always carry with her, as will many do. “Its not something that can be let go of, shaken off; it seeps into you and becomes a part of you. How can you process something that has not ended? People don’t survive war; it affects your mental health.”

We have in this earth what makes life within living

Another regular feature in her work is the white dove, a symbolic sign for peace. After the Al Nakba, the white dove featured a great deal in other Palestinian artists such as Sliman Mansour and Taman Al Akhal. Just like others, they are hoping for peace and waiting for their return to their homes. Mattar mentioned that the meaning of the white dove has change dramatically as it now: “peace will only start when the illegal occupation ends.” 

“The women in my artwork has more freedom than me” Pointing out that while living in Gaza, Her own travel was restricted by the Israeli force as she holds her Palestinian nationality. She also mentions that her first piece of artwork was much darker both in content and colour, she quickly decided to change her art style to something that others can look at for some time.

Al Nakba

During the 1948 war, over 700,000 Palestinian people were uprooted from their homes. Creating a refugee crisis, that till this day has not been solved. This huge crisis was known as Al Nakba the Arabic meaning of “catastrophe”.  During and after the war many Palestinian villages and properties were destroyed or taken by the Israeli forces. Despite what has happened during the war both states (Arab state and the Israel state) remember the event differently. The Arab state being remembered as a catastrophe while the Israel state remembered these events to be a war of independence as the Palestinian people were forced out but rather fled on their own free will.

In 1947, the UN proposed a plan to partition Palestine into 2 state, independent Jewish state and an Independent Arab state. Over 130 United Nation member recognise Palestine as an Independent state, whereas the rest of the countries including Israel and USA does not make this distinction as a result causing a civil conflict.