An exhibition of photos of everyday life in the occupied Palestinian village of Bil’in as seen through the eyes of the children who live there.
A thought-provoking photography exhibition showing everyday life in the village of Bil’in in the Occupied West Bank of Palestine as seen through the eyes of the children who live there.
Free exhibition.
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Silent Voices
Children from the ages of 8 to 18 took a camera home from school and shot their own pictures of family and village life under the guidance of Liverpool community photographer Elaine Stapleton. The result is an eloquent and moving exhibition of some 24 images showing in the Metropolitan Cathedral between 13th and 25th August. Additionally, there are 10 photos taken by Elaine putting the photos in perspective to be understood as lives lived under a harsh military occupation which has taken much of the village land in order to build a vast illegal settlement on it and which denies Bil’in and Palestinians in general their most fundamental human rights.
The exhibition was commissioned by the small group, Liverpool Friends of Bil’in, as part of a twinning project between schools in Liverpool and Bil’in. Work from students in a Liverpool secondary school will be added to the exhibition when complete and the exhibition itself is seen as a first step towards building an on-going relationship between the schools.
2 comments on the exhibition:
“Using a camera can be very liberating. It can remove barriers and provide an opportunity to explore, celebrate, share experiences, and develop an understanding of each others’ lives.”
Elaine Stapleton, photographer
“I am so pleased we managed to bring this exhibition here. The simplicity of the children’s photos depicting their everyday lives brings out the contrast between what to them is a daily experience and for us is a source of dismay that children should have to live with such uncertainty. We need to know about such things.”
Teacher taking a group of school children to the exhibition.