Nothing Impossible
Duncan Campbell and Samer Barbari2018
Video, 4’12”
The project entails the restoration and repainting of a 1987 Peugeot 405 car, which involved repairing the bodywork, pulling and filling dents, and repainting it. The designs from the Dar Jacir logo were vectored and scaled so that it can be stenciled onto the car.
For me what is important is not the car but the activity of restoring it. The project is about an expanding set of relationships rather than a terminal object. It is a process. The starting point of this process is the relationship between Samer Albarbari and myself. During my time here I learned a great deal from him. Informally, by talking to him, by going where he goes, he has given me a feel for life in Bethlehem and for how things work here. There is great nuance in this – for example he has told me about local food plants and explained how to prepare Palestinian dishes. In the past I have worked as an art fabricator. Through that, in turn, I have some skills that I can bring to bear on the restoration of the car.
Today, the car is part of Dar Jacir’s identity in Bethlehem, and has future potential to print and attach metal panels onto the bodywork, while others can continue to use it.
Part of the Inaugural Residency, curated by Emily Jacir
Supported by the A. M. Qattan Foundation through the “Visual Arts: A Flourishing Field” project funded by Sweden.