Breaking the siege: At Home in Gaza and London By Aimee Shalan

19 August '16

It’s incredible to think Gaza has been under blockade for almost a decade. We can’t go there; they can’t come here. So Station House Opera is creating a place where people can meet – a communal, virtual performance space.

At Home in Gaza and London uses live performance and digital invention to bring together people separated by great political, economic and physical divides. Opening a new way to interact with a creative community that’s been shut away from the world, it offers a fresh, personal response to Gaza and its isolation.

At Home in Gaza and in London

We’re thrilled to be working with such a vibrant community of artists on this ground-breaking project. But we need your help to make the next phase happen: a four-week workshop from 17 October-13 November.

Any contribution you can make will provide artists in Gaza with the chance to work with their contemporaries here in the UK, giving them an otherwise unobtainable international profile.

There are some excellent perks too, from free tickets and a sumptuous Palestinian meal, to meeting the artists and a virtual tour of Gaza.

What’s more you’ll be in good company:

Brian Eno, Producer: “After the most recent destruction in Gaza, in 2014, the nations of the world got together and decided to DO SOMETHING. Between them they pledged €5billion to rebuild Gaza. And then they all got on planes and went home – and, mostly, forgot to send the money. As a result, Gaza is still a massive bomb site, with families living among piles of broken concrete, damaged hospitals functioning as best they can, and no prospect of anything like a normal existence for the 2 million people trapped there. We can’t let this continue…and, if we start understanding what is really happening there, through creative projects like At Home in Gaza and London, we won’t let it continue.”

Miriam Margolyes, actress: “I totally support this exciting project. My only visit to Gaza was 25 years ago. I shall never forget it and when I see the video of the Station House Opera performance I realise how vital the contribution of the Arts is, in bringing people together and a sense of hope back to a place blighted by Israeli intransigence. May it flourish and prosper; I welcome such innovation, using live performance & digital invention to transform our world.”

Leila Sansour, filmmaker: “This is a truly inspiring project which celebrates the power of art to break barriers. Not unlike the tunnels of Gaza, this work is a virtual highway that provides a link to a creative community in a city that has been shut away from the world. What an ingenious way for artists in Gaza to work with their contemporaries abroad and to have access to international audiences.”

Hanan al-Shaykh, author: “When occupation and violence tarnishes humanity and kills. Art cleanses and brings back justice and life.”

Rafeef Ziadeh, performance poet: “At Home in Gaza and London is one of the most innovative and exciting collaborative projects I have heard about. For me it’s very important that the use of technology is being used to break the siege on artists in Gaza … These kinds of artistic collaborations tell the whole world that the Palestinian people resist and exist and continue to produce wonderful art. It’s also a message to people who support Palestinians that we are not just helpless victims; that we are a people that have very exciting cultural production and that we’re very happy to share it with the rest of the world.”

Every donation received goes directly towards the development of At Home in Gaza and London into a full production for 2017. Check out the video and more information on how to help here.

At Home in Gaza and London is a Station House Opera project, produced by Pressure Cooker Arts and Artsadmin