The Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural Project is an inter-disciplinary, multi-site public art project that will involve people on a global scale. ORSMP crosses borders and recognizes the unique relationship that exists between the people of Olympia, Washington, the people of Rafah, Occupied Palestine, and all people who struggle and work for justice. ORSMP is co sponsored by the Middle East Children’s Alliance, the Gaza Community Mental Health Program, and Olympia Salvage Company.
The goal of the project is to use culture and technology to increase the strength and visibility of movements working for social change in Palestine, Israel, the US and the world.
Inspired by Rachel Corrie, an activist from Olympia, WA killed in the Gaza Strip in 2003 in a non-violent act of civil disobedience, the mural serves as a reminder of the thousands of lives lost in Gaza and elsewhere, and as an inspiration for those who carry on the quest for justice, unity and peace—symbolized by the olive tree.
ORSMP is expected to be the largest Palestine solidarity mural in the world. It is located on the north side of the Labor Temple building in downtown Olympia.
"A Tale of Two Cities ~ The Legacy of Rachel Corrie" The Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural Project from Susan Greene on Vimeo.
A Tale of Two Cities - The Legacy of Rachel Corrie - The Olympia, WA Rafah Solidarity Mural Project
Phase One of the mural is finished and Phase Two will soon launch. Phase One included the painting of the trunk of a large ancient Olive tree that you see below, spanning approximately 100 feet.
During Phase Two relationships will be built with individuals and organizations across movements and communities locally, nationally and internationally. These relationships yield:
1) Images that will go into the leaves of tree. The individual leaves will be between eight and ten feel so that the viewer will be able to see individual images.
2) A new media component will give viewers an opportunity to interact with the project in ways that are unique to murals. Along with a visual design the mural participants will submit audio tracks that will be accessible by cell phone, turning the street into a listening station. The viewer will be able to listen to poetry, music, interviews, etc. associated to different images in the mural.
Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geocaching technologies will be used to provide alternative walking tours, whereby for example, the viewer will be able to walk through downtown Olympia and view what they would see if they were walking down a street in Rafah, or viewing the wall on US/Mexico border, ec. These locations would be layered upon each other, changing the way great distances are experienced.
The Olympia project should be completed by the summer and then a sister project in Rafah will begin. The Rafah mural will be structured similarly to the Olympia mural as it too will aim to bring people together across movements and locations in solidarity with Palestine and other movements for social justice.
APublic Relations and outreach campaign will begin so that this project has the best opportunity to reach as wide an audience as possible. In addition we will be producing a documentary called: “A Tale of Two Cities, The Legacy of Rachel Corrie” (working title).
All above information is from OlympiaRafahMural.orgFor more information on Rachel Corrie go to the memorial website at RachelCorrie.org or RachelCorrieFoundation.org.
Activist (1979–2003)
From Americans Who Tell The Truth by Robert Shetterly
| “The international media and our government are not going to tell us that we are effective, important, justified in our work, courageous, intelligent, valuable. We have to do that for each other, and one way we can do that is by continuing our work, visibly. People without privilege will be doing this work no matter what, because they are working for their lives. We can work with them, and they know that we work with them, or we can leave them to do this work themselves and curse us for our complicity in killing them.” | |
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