Gaza birdhouse
بيت العصفور الغزّاوي
The avifauna of Palestine is unusually rich for such a small area. In an 1885 study, the English ornithologist Henry B. Tristram identified 348 species of birds in a geographical area of 5,600 square miles, or 15,000 km²: the area of Palestine.
This Gaza-made traditional birdhouse is for the small birds and is widely used in people’s gardens and on their terraces. The birds’ freedom of flight and movement is in sharp contrast to the experience of the people who live in the Gaza strip, often referred to as an ‘open air prison’, because of the military siege imposed by the Israeli occupation.
This birdhouse is handmade by visually impaired people in the Open Studio of the Red Crescent Hospital in Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip.
- Further reading:
- Khan Younis Camp [UNRWA]
- About Hope Foundation and the Open Studio initiative [webpage]
- Open Studio (PS)
The Open Studio is a center in Khan Younis where knowledge and know-how are exchanged. Khan Younis is a small town in Gaza with a large refugee camp that has existed for over 60 years and is still growing. It is an Islamic Arab culture that has been cut-off from the outside world; the largest prison on earth. If the political situation allows, artists from abroad visit the Open Studio to participate and teach.
Wicker
± 10 x 10 x 15 cm
€12,50
