Magic Peace Ritual

In April/May 2019, I get the opportunity to accompany the management of the olive oil campaign to Palestine. They maintain relationships to the people in the Middle East and visit their partner organizations. With fair trade of organic olive oil and Za’tar, they make sure farmers in the occupied country have a means of existence and economic perspectives. A considerable part of the profit returns to aid projects in Gaza and West Bank. I accompany them on several meetings and visits to projects.

Before departure, I prepare a white piece of cotton fabric for the Magic Peace Ritual. I work several layers of colored ink into the fabric and let it dry in a sculptural form so it gets the desired texture and color. I developed this method a year ago for the action Dehors in Paris. The idea of the Magic Peace Ritual is to wash out the cloth at the places I visit with the water available to take home a flag that is as white as possible. Of course, I cannot manage to bleach the fabric completely, and it takes a lot of effort to let go of the pretty images that arise after drying. For me, it is also about carrying out a concrete action and thus getting in touch with the people there in my own way. 

• Who is solidary, makes itself suspicious, travel report on Saiten online
• Olive Oil Campaign from Palestine
• Geography of freedom / John Berger Project, Vexer 2019