Keep Your Eye on the Wall - by Olivia Snaije & Mitchell Albert (Hardcover)

About the Book

Powerful, unique and beautifully produced - an insightful and thought-provoking critique of the Wall around Palestine.

Book Synopsis

"Shockingly beautiful and evocative . . . the artists echo the feelings of Palestinians who have to make do with life in a divided, disfigured land."--Raja Shehadeh

In art and literature, walls are frequently used as powerful symbols of division. For the people of Palestine, however, the wall that cuts deeply into their land and society is all too real, snaking through over seven hundred kilometres of the West Bank. It throttles Palestinians, seals off Israelis, and all but guarantees perpetual ignorance, fear, and rage on both sides.

Keep Your Eye on the Wall brings together seven award-winning artist-photographers and four essayists, all responding to the Wall in images or words, specially commissioned for this book. The photographers present unique perspectives, whether documenting the journey of laborers across the barrier, the desolation of abandoned checkpoints, or the tattered posters of "martyrs" on a wall in Gaza.

Featuring the photographic work of Taysir Batniji, Raed Bawayah, Rula Halawani, Noel Jabbour, Raeda Saadeh, Steve Sabella, and Kai Wiedonhöfer, and the words of Malu Halasa, Yael Lerer, Christine Leuenberger, and Adania Shibli.

Olivia Snaije is the books editor for Harper's Bazaar Art and a reporter for Beirut's Daily Star. She was formerly executive editor at Alef, a London-based magazine covering Middle Eastern culture, and editor-in-chief of World Media in Paris.

Mitchell Albert was the program director of Writers' Centre Norwich and the former editorial director of PEN International. He is currently associate editor of Steppe, a magazine of Central Asian arts and culture.

Review Quotes

'Seven artist-photographers and four essayists searingly present the wall in pictures and text, in a beautiful accordion bound book, that like the wall, extends in a long line from beginning to end ... One can only hope that this wall will someday fall and the disputed areas will be peacefully reconciled to the advantage of both sides. This book embodies that hope.'

Publishers Weekly

'This project is a powerful endeavour, and creates a tangible and powerful collection of images and thoughts on this particular neo-colonial structure. The photographs and reflections that it contains spark immediate recall in anyone who has experienced the wall and its effects first hand, and has significance in communicating an awareness of its tangible existence and its ramifications for readers who approach it from a greater distance. At the same time, it presents a certain stimulus or provocation for thought rather than a summation or thesis regarding the on-going existence of such a management and constriction of lived space.'

Warscapes

'A beautifully balanced combination of visual and textual explorations of the wall as a physical and psychological barrier ... the possible benefits and pitfalls of incorporating the wall into artistic production are tackled head-on ... While art certainly can beautify, it can also serve as a vehicle to expose a truth, provoke a new perspective in the viewer, pose questions, document events, educate or tell a story. The photographs in "Keep Your Eye on the Wall" do all this and more ... Whatever your take on the dangers or benefits of art inspired by the wall, this is a beautiful book, balancing insightful, thought-provoking writing with a wonderful and varied selection of photographs by some of Palestine's most talented artists.'

Daily Star, Lebanon

About the Author

Olivia Snaije: Olivia Snaije is the books editor for Harper's Bazaar Art and a reporter for Beirut's Daily Star. She was formerly Executive Editor at Alef, a London-based magazine covering Middle Eastern culture, and Editor-in-Chief of World Media in Paris.

Mitchell Albert: Mitchell Albert was the Programme Director of Writers' Centre Norwich, a UK literary development agency with an international remit, and the former Editorial Director of PEN International. He is currently Associate Editor of Steppe, a magazine of Central Asian arts and culture.

Raja Shehadeh: Raja Shehadeh is one of Palestine's leading writers. He is also a lawyer and the founder of the pioneering Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Haq. He is the author of 'Strangers in the House' and 'A Rift in Time', and winner of the 2008 Orwell Prize for 'Palestinian Walks'.