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Disarming Design from Palestine
تصاميم مجرّدة من فلسطين
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    Thought-provoking designs
    تصاميم لتحفيز الفكر
  • Measuring inequality

    قياس عدم المساواة
    €35,00
  • Qastina apron

    مريلة قسطينة
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    Awakening goggles

    قناع الصحوة
    €25,00
  • theblacksac

    الحقيبة السوداء
    €199,00
  • Cactus fruit candle

    شمعة الصبّار
    €8,50
  • Leaf Behind Earring

    Leaf behind earrings

    أقراط الأذن "أترُك خلفَك"
    €59,00
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    Leaf behind ring

    خاتم "أترُك خَلفك"
    €59,00
  • State of Palestine

    دولة فلسطين
    €10,00
  • Heirloom seeds

    بذور بلديّة
    €7,50
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    صابون نابلسي
    €6,00
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    أقراط غزة "نُحِبُّ الحياة"
    €175,00
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    قميص "سجِّل أنا عربي"
    €17,00 – €19,00
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    Gaza birdhouse

    بيت العصفور الغزّاوي
    €12,50
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    صحن الطّيور
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  • Distance to Gaza

    المسافة إلى غزة
    €20,00
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    الكوفية الملوّنة
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    دموع
    €6,00
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    علم البطّيخ
    €19,00 – €39,00
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    كرات عيد الميلاد من بيت لحم
    €7,00 – €9,00
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    أرواح مكشوفة
    €19,00
  • Reworlding Ramallah

    Reworlding Ramallah

    إعادة قولبة العالم : رام الله
    €12,50
  • Subjective atlas of Palestine

    أطلس فلسطين الذاتي
    €24,50
  • Freedom shoes

    أحذية الحرّية
    €145,00
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    أبيض على كوفيّة بيضاء
    €25,00
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    الحسكة
    €40,00
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    صندوق صيّاد السمك "من كلّ مكان"
    €50,00
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    لعبة السيرفيس الأصفر
    €35,00
  • Watchtowers and water tanks game

    لعبة أبراج المراقبة وخزّانات المياه
    €245,00
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    فرشاة الحاجز
    €25,00
  • Under construction

    صحن "قيد الإنشاء"
    €20,00
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    كرة التّوتر
    €7,50
  • Proudly Made in Palestine

    صنع في فلسطين، بفخر
    €25,00
  • Keffiyeh bandage

    Keffiyeh bandage

    ضمّادة الكوفيّة
    €9,00
  • Everywhere Palestine

    فلسطين في كلّ مكان
    €60,00
  • Gaza scarf

    وشاح غزة
    €95,00
  • Disengaged observer outfit

    زيّ المراقب الدّولي
    €75,00
  • Barcelona or Madrid? No, Palestine!

    برشلونة او مدريد؟ لا، فلسطين!
    €0,50
  • Blanco

    القميص الأبيض
    €75,00
Stories
حكايات
2022, a year to solidify
عام 2022 ، سنة يجب ترسيخها Palestine, Belgium and beyond, 2022
  • Highlight
From Checkpoint bag to Blacksac
من شنطة الحاجز إلى البلاك ساك Al Quds, 2015 – Al Khalil, 2022
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2021, a year in retrospect
٢٠٢١ سنة مفصليّة January 2022
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Call for solidarity
نداء للتضامن Until liberation
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ماجستير معهد ساندبرج Sandberg Instituut Amsterdam, 2020 — 2022
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Design for Disarming times
التصميم لأوقاتنا المجرِّدة Onomatopee publishers, 2020
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Life of the Palestinian rug
ورشة البساط الفلسطيني Birzeit, September - October 2020
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Facemask from Gaza
قناع الوجه من غزة August 2020
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Hosh Jalsa
حوش جلسة Birzeit, 2018 – 2020
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Marketing workshop
ورشة التسويق Birzeit, January – February 2020
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Bags Prince Claus Awards
حقائب صندوق الأمير كلوز Amsterdam, 4 December 2019
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Crossing Boundaries lecture
محاضرة "اجتياز الحدود" VCUQatar, Doha, 19-22 November 2019
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Intimate terrains
إقتراب الآفاق Birzeit, 21–29 august 2019
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جسور من الماضي Birzeit, June – September 2019
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Young artisans market
سوق الحرفيّين الشّباب Birzeit, 2019
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إعادة قولبة العالم : رام الله Birzeit, January – April 2019
  • Highlight
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Thought-provoking December gifts
هدايا محفّزة للفكر في فترة الأعياد Droog, Amsterdam, 6 December 2018 – 6 January 2019
  • Exhibiting
Collective thinking
تفكير جماعي Hosh Jalsa, Birzeit, November – December 2018
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My house is your house
البيت بيتك Design Museum Ghent, 16 February – 15 April 2018
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Nieuwe Instituut
معرض نيوي انستتوت Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, november 2017
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Amman Design Week
أسبوع عمان للتصميم Darat al Funun, Amman, October 2017
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الحلم مقابل الواقع Amman, September 2017
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مجموعة "دريم ديفندرز" Ramallah, 17 August 2017
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Design Museum Cologne
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Henry Van De Velde Awards
جائزة هنري فان دي فيلد Bozar, Brussels, January – February 2017
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Welcome home
الدار دارك Ramallah, 8 – 30 October 2016
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Hosh Qandah, create-shop 2016
حوش قندح، ورشة التصميم ٢٠١٥ Ramallah, August – September 2016
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ورشة التصميم من غزة للقدس Gaza & Jerusalem, 26 August – 8 September 2015
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Qalandiya international
قلنديا الدولي IAAP, Ramallah, 27 October – 15 November 2014
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ورشة التصميم ٢٠١٤ Ramallah, Bethlehem, 21 October – 7 November 2014
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التصميم و الصراع C-Mine, Genk, 15 December 2013 – 9 March 2014
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ورشة التصميم ٢٠١٣ Bethlehem, 30 Sep – 12 Oct 2013
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Subjective atlas of Palestine
أطلس فلسطين الذاتي Ramallah, 2007
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Stories
حكايات

Reworlding Ramallah
إعادة قولبة العالم : رام الله

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  • Highlight
  • Learning
  • Writing

Palestinian science-fiction workshop
Birzeit, January – April 2019
Writer Callum Copley undertook a residency at Hosh Jalsa, for Disarming Design from Palestine. He hosted multiple workshop series exploring Science Fiction and how to write it. He invited artists, writers, students, and other imaginative minds to join Disarming Design from Palestine for eight weekly workshops focused on Science Fiction writing; exploring the genres potentials in a Palestinian context.

“Science Fiction is an opportunity to understand ourselves, our hopes and our fears, and imagine a world radically different than the one we are presented with today – free from the restraints of time. It is a place where we can create exciting new futures and explore how we might get there tomorrow.” 

How does the future meet us halfway? Can we think of freedom beyond a logic of progress? How can we envision a political horizon beyond the realities around us? What are the limitations of raising questions about the future in this way? These are the types of questions underpinning the workshops in which consisted of drawing tasks, readings, discussions, and movie screenings that ultimately concluded in the development of their own stories.

Palestinian Worldbuilding Workshop

Hosh Jalsa, 27 january, 3, 10, 17, 24 February , 3, 10, 17 March 2019

Part 1: Research (Session 1-3)

The course began with an introduction to Sci-Fi, exploring its historical connections to social and political movements across the world. In the opening lecture participants learnt about the various histories and sub-genres of the Sci-Fi and how they interconnected. From Afrofuturism to Russian Cosmism, the variety of ways the future has been imagined by writers across the globe and through time was highlighted. Using the works of Ursula K. Le Guin and Octavia Butler, amongst others, the group explored how speculative fiction can be used as a productive tool to imagine other ways of being. The first session ended with a collaborative map-drawing exercise called “A Quiet Year” where players are asked to imagine a community of people rebuilding their homeland after a prolonged occupation.

In the second session, focus was given to the construction of believable imaginary worlds. In another presentation, Callum gave an overview of a variety of techniques used in science fiction worldbuilding, as well as many of the pitfalls. After some small writing tasks, the group undertook another collaborative task titled ‘backcasting’. Here the groups were presented with fictional scenarios 100 years in the future. Their task we to then create a plausible timeline from the present day to this given point. Working backwards and forwards along the timeline they had to come up with a logical series of events that might reach their goal. In the final research session the group examined what was involved in creating unique characters, as well as some of the stereotypes and archetypes that have traditionally been deployed.

Part 2: Story Development (Session 4-8)

In the second part of the workshop series, participants focused on developing their own ideas for a short science fiction story. These sessions consisted of many short writing exercises to spark concepts and to develop different writing techniques. Many exercises involved experimenting with futurity and exploring the use of past and future tenses in relation to fiction. Through one-to-one tuition and feedback each individual worked on completing a story of their own to be published in a group publication.

In addition to the main 8 week workshop Callum also hosted a number of other workshops with organizations across Palestine. The first was a two part workshop in collaboration with The Fiction Council, a youth club in East Jerusalem exploring the basics of Science Fiction.

 

Fiction Council Workshop

Hosh Jalsa, Fiction Council Jerusalem, 8, 14  february 2019

Session 1

In the first session, The Fiction Council visited Hosh Jalsa and received a tour of the space. They then received a crash course in the basics of Science Fiction and began to play another collaborative world building game called ‘Planet Home’, designed by Callum.

Session 2

The second session was hosted by the Fiction Council in their space in Beit Safafa and revolved around concluding the game which was started in the first session. At the end of the workshop, the participants presented their completed worlds, complete with alien species, histories and architecture. Using this material, the group have decided to develop their ideas further into another project with DDFP to be announced soon.

 

School teachers Workshop

Science Studio Qattan Foundation, Ramallah, 1, 3, 9 march 2019

In addition to the two previous workshops, Callum also hosted a small series of workshops in collaboration with the Qattan foundation aimed at teaching the basics of Science Fiction to a group of local school teachers. Through a series of similar presentations and games, the teachers learnt about the genre so that they could pass on some of the knowledge to their own students.

“Science fiction is a place where we can create exciting new futures and explore how we might get there tomorrow and for this very reason it is of such importance when faced with violence of the occupation at present.”

 

Reworlding Ramallah: A collection of Palestinian Science-Fiction Short Stories

Book launch Onomatopee (Eindhoven), 27 October 2019

Critical science fiction, on its most basic level, is an opportunity to experiment with new ways of existing in the world; imaging different, economic, political and social structures. Within its pages, science fiction holds the space to test ambitious projects without the fear of failure. Reading and writing science fiction is, in all its imaginative and disruptive potential, something which I believe is valuable to anyone living under conditions which they wish to change.

‘Reworlding’ is the name given to a concerted effort to reimagine the places and spaces we inhabit, by generating a multiplicity of futures with which to affect the present positively. Reworlding takes the notion of worldbuilding beyond any ostensible purpose as art or entertainment and deploys aspects of it as a radical tool to instigate change in the world.

The stories compiled in this book were the outcome of a writing workshop series led by Callum Copley in a town called Birzeit, a few miles north of Ramallah, Palestine. From alien experiments to fortune-tellers and telepathic conspiracies; the stories compiled here represent visions of the West Bank and beyond, reworlding both the local and the interplanetary. Although the contributions in the collection vary in form, length and style, all join a rapidly growing but comparatively small niche of Palestinian science fiction.

 

Edited by: Callum Copley
Authors: Lama Altakruri, Shayma Nader, Adele Jarrar, Shada Mustafa, Qusai Al Saify, Hiba Isleem, Jamila Ewais, Fakhry Al-Serdawi
Translators to Arabic: Hilda Moucharrafieh, Maria Khatchadourian
Design & Typesetting: Callum Copley, Joud Toamah
Cover Design: Francesca Khamis
Published by: Onomatopee, Eindhoven, NL & Dar Laila Publishing, Haifa, PS

Reworlding Ramallah
Heirloom seeds
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Thought-provoking designs
تصاميم لتحفيذ الفكر

Heirloom seeds
بذور بلديّة

Seeds from the Palestine Heirloom seed library

Available seeds at Disarming Design from Palestine:
— Abu Samara (wheat)
— Bamyeh / Okra (ladies’ fingers)
— Molokhia (Jute Mallow)
— Sabanikh (spinach)
— Yakteen (gourd)
— Zinnia Sabella (flower, edible petals)
—
Bitinjan (Eggplant)
—
Kusa

On top of the political violence, Palestinian farmers also face the dangers of agribusiness with its corporate seed production and land dominance. But many of these farmers are the heroes who have been safeguarding the precious seeds, and the knowledge that these carry. Palestinian Heirloom seed varieties are under threat; many have gone extinct. These seeds have been passed down to us over the centuries, and carry in their genes the stories and the spirits of Palestinian indigenous ancestors. Aside from their cultural significance, these seeds carry options for our future survival as we face climate change and the erosion of agro-biodiversity worldwide. As such, it is urgent that we save heirloom seeds, and propagate them.

Founded by Vivien Sansour, the Palestinian Heirloom Seed Library project seeks to preserve and promote heritage and threatened seed varieties, traditional Palestinian farming practices, and the cultural stories and identities associated with them. Based in the Village of Battir, a UNESCO World Heritage Site outside Bethlehem, the library also serves as space for collaborations with artists, poets, writers, journalists, and other members to showcase and promote their talents and work. Working closely with farmers, the Library has identified key seed varieties and crops threatened with extinction, and provides opportunities to inspire local farmers and community members to actively preserve their bio-culture and recuperate their local landscape.

The library has also launched a global platform for conversations about bio-cultural heritage. Its Traveling Kitchen is a mobile venue for social engagement in different communities, promoting cultural preservation through food choices.

Established 2014, Bethlehem, Palestine

Learn more about the Palestinian Heirloom Seed Library and the work of Vivien Sansour on this website.

For more on Abu Samara, listen to this song dedicated to the wheat by Zaid Hilal: Abu Samra أبو سمرة حبة القمح .

 

Design
  • Vivien Sansour (PS)

    Vivien Sansour (Palestine) is a believer in the magic of the simple things in life. This magic represented in her work where seeds and soil are brought to life through her practice as a conservationist and writer. Vivien feels at home in the fields where farmers plant their seeds and share their stories. In her practice, Vivien combines the work of conservation with the sensory world of image and sound. She works with farmers around the world to find and reintroduce threatened crop varieties, and collects stories to assert the ownership of seeds by communities and not companies.

    Vivien was born in Palestine and grew up in Bethlehem. She does not live in one particular place as her work takes her to different communities around the world – from Palestine, California, Central America and the Caribbean. She is the founder of The Palestine Heirloom Seed Library and the Traveling Kitchen project, both initiatives aim to bring seed heritage back to the dinner table so we can, “eat our history rather than store it away as a relic of the past”.

  • Daleen Saah (PS)
Production
  • 100% Palestinian heritage seeds

    harvest 2020, packed in 2021

    10 x 15cm (size of package, including seeding information inside)

€7,50

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How can design help counteract unjust realities Rug industry was an essential part of their lifestyle Define what is needed to enhance social, political and emancipatory impact Disarming is an approach that positions design as a cultural tool to oppose oppression Storytelling can be seen as a form of resilience and resistance Giving space to other knowledges through a design process Collective memories highlight relationships that allow a crossing and intermingling between differences. Exploring how design can be a vehicle for political resistance and solidarity Investing in conditions for a learning experience that focuses on economic, political and artistic independence How to present work online and reach the right audience? Extraordinary people working in areas where cultural expression faces challenges The effect of occupation on local design and how it restricts craft and product development What does it mean to be Palestinian today, and how to express that through locally made designs? Overviewing methods and exercises on oral tradition A place for knowledge exchange and community building in relation to contemporary design How can we reflect, integrate and interact with oral tradition? “The only thing that gets me going is sharing stories.” What roles do listening, remembering and going public play in the performance of oral history? Ticking needles, curious questions, whispering experiments, rhythmic embroideries and a ping pong of ideas Supporting students and designers on reviving their industries of handicrafts and innovative production Can we think of freedom beyond a logic of progress? Learning together while doing Creating space for artists to link their designs with local histories. A collaborative process with high emphasis on creativity, collaboration, making and quality We felt powerless and were struggling how to relate to this uncomfortable truth Crafts are a social act that relates to the sense of a place, how a community is built How can we envision a political horizon beyond the realities around us? "Today in Birzeit." What is ‘home’? When and where are we at home? How can we change our surroundings and how can design contribute to the quality of life? Collaboratively developing a series of thought provoking products Showing the disarming reverse side of the black-and-white image
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The design is an invitation to the world to look closely Catalyse a broader view and prevent people from covering Reminding us to bear a greater responsibility towards life The false accusation may have ended, but the occupation has not Caring for identity is as important as protecting health itself Aside from their cultural significance, these seeds carry options for our future survival Catalysing a more open view and preventing people from covering over their own eyes when it comes to Palestine The more time we spend together, and listen, the more stories are unveiled A rapidly growing but comparatively small niche of Palestinian science fiction Sublime landscapes, tranquil urban scenes, frolicking children; who would associate these images with Palestine? “Record! I am an Arab, and my identity card is number 50 000” The Hirbawi factory is one of the only remaining factories to manufacture keffiyeh locally Wearing this unique piece on becomes both a political statement This apron shows what is the one and only recipe for its artist Our roots hold strong and silently in the earth Our trees are like our children The shared taxi is part of the West Bank urban landscape There are no possibilities of movement, since all the squares on the board are occupied Erasing the Israeli checkpoints from the landscape and envisioning a Palestine free from the occupation “We love life whenever we can” An illegal apartheid wall, on a scale impossible to imagine A flourishing craft industry established during the time of Roman rule in Palestine The artist decided to declare the existence of a non-existent state Only two soap factories survive today The occupation also takes part of the body and mind Living under occupation is an attack on people’s mental strength Most importantly they had the “Made in Palestine” tag on them The pattern of this keffiyeh is found and copied in Palestine Shoes have a long tradition as symbols of opposition and defiance You begin to realise that you have become yet another victim of the spell “I felt confused, between humiliation and joy" The birds’ freedom of flight and movement is in sharp contrast Behind each of these numbers there is a personal story The plates connect different locations in the world to Gaza The embroidery on this scarf is based on a traditional scarf in Gaza Travelling with a Palestinian Authority passport is still subject to many limitations Is it even possible to be neutral in situations of oppression? Why do we too rarely address the contemporary reality of this city and region Talking about Palestinian football is rare, although there is a national team This tailor-made garment is fragile Why can’t we be as generous as nature itself?
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The design is an invitation to the world to look closely Catalyse a broader view and prevent people from covering Reminding us to bear a greater responsibility towards life The false accusation may have ended, but the occupation has not Caring for identity is as important as protecting health itself Aside from their cultural significance, these seeds carry options for our future survival Catalysing a more open view and preventing people from covering over their own eyes when it comes to Palestine The more time we spend together, and listen, the more stories are unveiled A rapidly growing but comparatively small niche of Palestinian science fiction Sublime landscapes, tranquil urban scenes, frolicking children; who would associate these images with Palestine? “Record! I am an Arab, and my identity card is number 50 000” The Hirbawi factory is one of the only remaining factories to manufacture keffiyeh locally Wearing this unique piece on becomes both a political statement This apron shows what is the one and only recipe for its artist Our roots hold strong and silently in the earth Our trees are like our children The shared taxi is part of the West Bank urban landscape There are no possibilities of movement, since all the squares on the board are occupied Erasing the Israeli checkpoints from the landscape and envisioning a Palestine free from the occupation “We love life whenever we can” An illegal apartheid wall, on a scale impossible to imagine A flourishing craft industry established during the time of Roman rule in Palestine The artist decided to declare the existence of a non-existent state Only two soap factories survive today The occupation also takes part of the body and mind Living under occupation is an attack on people’s mental strength Most importantly they had the “Made in Palestine” tag on them The pattern of this keffiyeh is found and copied in Palestine Shoes have a long tradition as symbols of opposition and defiance You begin to realise that you have become yet another victim of the spell “I felt confused, between humiliation and joy" The birds’ freedom of flight and movement is in sharp contrast Behind each of these numbers there is a personal story The plates connect different locations in the world to Gaza The embroidery on this scarf is based on a traditional scarf in Gaza Travelling with a Palestinian Authority passport is still subject to many limitations Is it even possible to be neutral in situations of oppression? Why do we too rarely address the contemporary reality of this city and region Talking about Palestinian football is rare, although there is a national team This tailor-made garment is fragile Why can’t we be as generous as nature itself?
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