To understand what a place is, is to retrace, re-figure where family history is, where it is? I have been told stories —testimonies — from my grandfather and my Mother about small streets, narrow neighborhoods, the sounds of music (Fairuiz) in every corner, trees, weather pure of fumes and flames—a cause to live for. “ElDayeh” is what you would call a neighborhood in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, or Jordan. My Mother always told stories about growing up in Sidon, Lebanon, of these narrow streets, fresh eggs in the morning, and the smell of coffee grounds brewing. She comes from the “Al Nakba 1948” Survivors. Her Mother was 8 years old when her family had to flee Palestine, with a bunch of kids, and my great-grandmother wrapped what was left of her gold around her stomach. Gold is valuable in Palestinian traditions; it is a currency among women and is sold only if you have nothing to eat. Her father remembers more of Palestine as he and his Mother fled to Lebanon when he was 12, and he had to work in the refugee camps first as a child, because his father and older siblings stayed back to fight in the war against Zionist Troops. My grandfather, Adnan Beshtawi, is the one who gives me hope to continue the work for perseverance and a free Palestine. He passed away in 2011. My Mother never knew much about Palestine, as she was growing up, her family did not speak much about the matter, but I learned as much as I possibly could from her, to destigmatize retracing roots to Palestine and continue the work done by our elders…
To foresee the rest, I decided to start digitizing what I can visualize from my familial testimonies, cross-examined, and a few archived photographs of Nazareth, Palestine. Where a memory of a memory takes place, sounds of Fairuz and consistent fragmentations. A disturbed topography with depopulated streets, infrastructures taken apart:
- Unreal Engine to synthesize walkways, topographies, neighborhoods, and weather conditions to further create an interactive open source virtual reality, where participants can engage, add, and digitize their photographs, letters, and passed down artifacts in order to preserve familial memory. Utilizing C++ in Unreal Engine to ignite blueprints for interactive environments and asset reactions through descriptive technical language to further engage with our correspondents and participants.
- Sound Particles as a tool for adapting spatial sounds, creating environments based solely on soundscapes recorded in the present and future. Recordings will be spread throughout space to hold a moment in time, to create historized scapes where whoever wishes to interact and sound off to Palestine can do so.
- Revit3D and AutoCAD will serve as 3D modeling software to create homes by examining memory maps and sketches from Palestine. Reproduce and retrace construction documents to navigate building neighborhoods, dwelling systems, and construction materials used.
MURR-YBA 