Part of our 2020-2021 Residency Program, RETURN by gabbah baya uses experimental game design to preserve and decontextualize Palestinian locations, buildings, and artifacts. The show opened on Friday, July 30, 2021 at Feminist A.I. & poieto and ran through August 8.

Artist Statement: In 2019 I traveled to Palestine and Israel on an artist grant where I 3D scanned and documented Palestinian landmarks and architecture. 3D scanning as a means of archival preservation and as a way to provide access to people who might not have any other means to experience them has made that particular tool incredibly attractive to my art practice. Some of the items I scanned were in the village of Ein Karem. I was drawn to this village in particular because it was in the Israeli sector of Jerusalem, which is on the west side of the city. I was also drawn to that location because of its religious significance and because all of the architecture in Ein Karem has remained the same since the 1948 Nakba, the only thing that has changed are the people. My goal as an artist is to continue archiving Palestinian architecture and landmarks not only as a means of preservation but as a way to imagine and create an alternative narrative for people, for Palestinians. “RETURN” is my first serious attempt at trying to create this alternative narrative that combines history and my own dreamspace. As the player you must try to make it home before your home is gone. You enter each level, and in order to progress you must find an item to move forward. –gabbah baya