Dear list, Today, I will fly into what is practically a conflict zone. As you might imagine, for some time now, I have been agonising on whether I should or shouldn't go and if I do go, how to be once I am there. The basic arguments to go are of personal, family, nature.
However, I feel determined to do something once I am there. (..hence, how to be there..) There being Israel. What can I do? Nothing to change the particular situation, off-course. But maybe something can be done via myself that opens up a certain way for new meanings to emerge. Following the recent threads on the list regarding the current out burst of deadly criminal atrocities between palestinians, hezbolla (the party of god) and what might be called hezb-al-yahood (the party of jews, otherwise known as the state of israel) to name a few - I thought that this practice I am about to talk about might interest some people.. Conflicting shoes is, on the face of it, a practice of creativity with shoes in conflict areas. The initial suggestion is to send shoes to an address in conflict zones where the person who receives the shoes place the shoes in a public place so that people could , for instance, put their feet in. For example, Joe sends a shoe or 2 to Jessica, and she might hammer the shoe/s onto a pavement in, say, Mogadishu.. Joe and Jessica, might off course, elaborate on that.. For example, worn shoes bare the result of being between your body/feet and where ever you've been to with them. They bare signs of your weight, the way you move, and the conflicting pressures between yourself, the shoe's material/s and the places/surfaces your been through.. Maybe worn shoes in conflict zones might remind some war photographs.. Maybe placing shoes in public areas can point to the notion of walking in someone else's shoes.. To begin with, there's obviously, only myself and how I see this practice going however what I am about to suggest is only a starting point or points rather.. So here's the deal: I intend to stick, glue or cement, used shoes in places I'll be in Israel. I could just pick a few of my own old shoes and do that, however, I think/feel that such a thing will be too personal in a practice that is, for me, anything but self exploration. Therefore, this is an invitation to practice this together. Currently, I think the possibilities are: a. Maybe you'd like to join the forum at: http://conflictingshoes.aharonic.net/ . b. Maybe you'd want to pick up an old shoe or two and send it . Use your imagination as to how you'd like your shoe/s to be placed, maybe the kind of environment, maybe your wand to write something on it, maybe you'd just rather leave a clean soc in one and an old smelly one in another.. I'll try best I can to do as you suggest - if possible.. I intend to take photos of conflicting shoes placed - however, it might be that I'll use a different way of reflection.. Note that I'll be in Israel until the 15th, so if you do send something it should come at least 3 or 4 days before that date.. (15.08.06) Name and address to send shoes to: ron peretz 13 kikar haganim beer sheva 84844 p.b. 7310 Israel c. Maybe you are in a different conflict zone and want people to send shoes to you.. I can't think now of other possibilities - but am sure there are.. Maybe the forum, http://conflictingshoes.aharonic.net/ , can be used for that... The notion for this practice has developed in me within the last week. I have made a fair few text versions of this, because I was searching for a way to write about it which will feel right - so to speak... Not that I am without any critique about this version... The aim is to present conflicting shoes as a practice, a cultural technology, of which each practitioner is a creator, an educator, and hopefully having fun. Best of wishes! Aharon ______________________________________________ SPECTRE list for media culture in Deep Europe Info, archive and help: http://coredump.buug.de/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/spectre
