Journeys To The Ends of Shu’fat
Jumana MannaJune 11, 2020, 16:00
I came to shoot a film about foraging wild foods in the spring. A chase film, between the Israeli Nature Patrol and elderly Palestinians out gathering plants that are listed as protected species; particularly the artichoke like thistle, ‘akkoub; aka, the green gold. The shoot was cancelled because of the Covid-19 lockdown and I found myself quarantined with my parents in Shu’fat, East Jerusalem.
I went walking everyday in the neighborhood, looking at animals, plants and scrap piles. I looked at the neighbors looking at me, and had déjà vu of lethargic school summer days, when there was time, lots of time. Helicopters watched us from above and soundscapes from construction sites continued despite the strict curfew measures. Slowly accepting the serendipitous gifts of the virus I began to enjoy my exilic nostalgia, a new-old way of being present in Jerusalem.
Journeys To The Ends of Shu’fat is an edited compilation of the stories I posted on instagram under quarantine and marks the end of this chapter as I return to Berlin.
Special thanks to Aline Khoury and Shuruq Harb for being my quarantine buddies and for encouraging me to make this video.
Jumana Manna (b. 1987) is a visual artist working primarily with film and sculpture. Her work explores how power is articulated through relationships, often focusing on the body and materiality in relation to narratives of nationalism, and histories of place. She was awarded the A.M. Qattan Foundation’s Young Palestinian Artist Award in 2012 and the Ars Viva Prize for Visual Arts in 2017. Manna has participated in various film festivals and exhibitions, including Henie Onstad Museum, Norway, 2018; Mercer Union, Canada, 2017; Jeu de Paume and CAPC Bordeaux, France, 2017; SculptureCenter, USA, 2014; Marrakech Biennale 6, 2016; The Nordic Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale; as well as the 54th and 56th Viennale International Film Festivals, 66th and 68th Berlinale and CPH:DOX 2018, where Wild Relatives won the New:Visions award. Manna was raised in Jerusalem and is currently based in Berlin.
Jumana Manna was a resident at Dar Jacir in the spring of 2019 where she was working on her new film. You can read more about her residency here.
This short video compilation was created especially for Dar Jacir's online program organized in response to the coronavirus emergency. Foregrounding solidarity and care our program focused on bringing together our family of artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers and dancers to lead programs and remain connected while we are physically separated.
