The Cave, the Flood
Haydens
17 August - 15 September 2024
The Cave, The Flood Booklet (viewable on laptop)
Gallery Statement- Instagram
Crikey Article Charlie Lewis
NAVA Statement Leya Reid
The Cave The Flood Exhibition Proposal (viewable on laptop)
The Cave, The Flood, is a response to the charged events that have erupted over the last nine months in historic Palestine.
More than ever the latest phase in the occupation of Palestine has exposed vested interests and the limits of Western institutions, creating a flood of enraged civil and artistic protests worldwide. The continental plates between North and South, East and West, progressive and conservative have seemingly been loosened by this cruel conflict that now threatens to push that region of the world to the abyss.
The Well of Souls- the Cave and the Noble Rock housed within the Dome of the Rock, at Al Aqsa, al Quds/Jerusalem have immense metaphysical and geopolitical significance for the inhabitants of historic Palestine, as does the entire Al Aqsa precinct- the Noble Sanctuary. Very little is understood about the Islamic perspective of this revered site that is precious to all of the Abrahamic faiths.
The Cave, The Flood is a response to the complex history and meanings of this charged geological and spiritual pivot point, considering it from both religious and political perspectives. So much is clouded in Western reportage. So little of the context is appreciated by Western eyes.
The Cave, The Flood
Wooden frame, scrim, LED light.
3000x3000x3000mm dimensions variable.
The Cave The Flood Booklet
(Available for audiences at the exhibition).
The Cave The Flood Exhibition Proposal
(Presented to Haydens prior to the exhibition).
Khan Younis
Coloured pencil on black cartridge paper.
Today was a Sad Day in the History of the Security Council
Digital video, projected onto acid etched glass, steel frame, Arduino board and movement sensor, LED lighting, projector.
Two speeches by Palestinian Ambassadors to the United Nations.
The first by Riyad Mansour from the initial failure of the security council to call for a ceasefire on the 8th of December 2023. The United States vetoed the resolution backed by the vast majority of Security Council members and many other nations. The vote in the 15-member council was 13-1 with the United Kingdom abstaining. Duration 5:38.
The second by Palestinian ambassador Feda Abdelhady is the most recent statement prior to the opening of the exhibition to the UN Security Council on the 31st of July 2024 after 300 days of its failure to halt the campaign of collective civilian punishment waged by Israel in Gaza. Duration 15:42
New Evidence, digital video. Duration 00:43
The Noble Rock
Digital print.
The Noble Rock, End Times
Digital print.
Travel by Night
Blue coloured Pencil on black cartridge, 6 A4 sheets.
Geometrical Scheme of the Dome of the Rock
Pencil on Cartridge, 3 A4 sheets.
Deluge
Grey lead pencil on A2 cartridge sheet.
Fragments
Black coloured pencil on A2 cartridge sheet, framed.
Untitled
Grey lead pencil on A2 cartridge sheet.
As Above, So Below
Grey lead pencil on A2 cartridge sheet.
With sincere thanks to Hayden Stuart for his invaluable role in the fabrication of this work and for support for the project.
Thankyou to Ruby Archer for her assistance beyond the call of duty.
Thankyou to Emily Westmore for her sage advice on the booklet and care with scissors.
To Liwen Liang for graphic design of the booklet.
To Tiger Zheng for technical assistance.
Photography: Haydens