Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Walkthrough

The essential human experience of story, as well as Walid Raad’s recent exhibit at the ICA, serves as the inspiration for the Division 4 Humanities final project this year. The stories that we tell, create, and remember help to define our lives and unite us as human beings.

 Students chose time periods within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the 1800s to the present. Students then created art pieces that not only represented an event or series of events that took place during their chosen time period, but also incorporated fictional stories that help us remember that fact and fiction in history is often left up to those in power, those who write the history. The challenging and controversial history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an ideal platform for this investigation; what is included and left out of histories from both sides helps to create compelling narratives by which groups defend their claims to land and victimhood.

This art installation requires both the artists and the audience to constantly question official narratives. Who writes the history we read? Who are the voices that we hear? How is history constructed?

Please use the map to locate all of the pieces located throughout the school, and follow along with the accompanying audio tour. Each artist has recorded an audio statement in addition to the written artist statement that can be viewed by each piece. The audio statement often includes specific instructions for how to interact with the art or more detailed information about the origins of the pieces.