Birzeit Alumna Tala Abdulhadi Participates in the New Radicalism Festival in the Netherlands

Tala Abdulhadi, a Birzeit University graduate from the Faculty of Art, Music and Design, Department of Design, participated in the “New Radicalism” festival held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, last October, where she was part of the festival's exhibition. A copy of her graduation project from Birzeit University was displayed at the exhibition and she was invited to participate in a panel discussion at the festival.

Her graduation project, titled “Producing the Unseen, without Reproducing What We Have Only Experienced", is a multimedia installation that aims to challenge attempts by oppressive forces to impose standards of "obedience" and "surrender" on oppressed communities. The project focuses on young people who have grown up in a reality conditioned by oppression.

The art pieces in this project are designed as kinetic sculptures made from clothes given by Israeli settlers in Europe, and have strong connotations in the Palestinian context, referring to “undercover operatives”; Israeli soldiers who masquerade as Palestinians during protests and military operations. Through this work, Tala sought to bring these garments back to Europe and have them reconfigured by the oppressed to challenge oppressive structures.

The garments were transformed into augmented reality 3D models, so that by scanning a QR code, viewers can watch the 3D models interact with people in the environment.