Online Documentary Draft — Work in Progress
Working draft can be found here if you use Chrome as a browser, else please see the video demo below.
Directed by Adam Sébire. HTML5 programming by Saima Ali.
In this online documentary (also known as “I Live in the Centre of the World”) the viewer can navigate their way through the web of streets that form the Old City of Jerusalem (Al Quds). The interface give the viewer an impression of moving through it. Sometimes, you will find doorways that you can enter, doorways that take you into the hidden layers of Jerusalem.
Inside these spaces, be they a living room, cellar, rooftop or hamam, there is a panorama: you can look around, click on certain spots. Such a spot activates a film, soundtrack or slideshow. There is also an “exit” so you can return to the streets and continue your journey. A walkthrough demo is shown below:
It’s an unusual concept that also provides documentation of an annual 3-day festival of music, arts, theatre and poetry in the Old City. Local and international artists work with residents in intimate settings: kitchens, living rooms, spaces behind doors, spaces that usually remain closed, as culture is forced “underground” because of ban by the authorities. The audience is informed by word of mouth only. This is the reality of the Old City of Jerusalem, the centre of religions, old civilizations and present-day conflicts.
The aim is to diminish the distance between the residents of the Old City and the outside world. European and Palestinian artists work together on new creations, stimulating culture, art and personal voices, bursting straight through the noise of fanatics, talking heads and political leaders. Al Quds Underground stimulates beauty, protects fragility and celebrates diversity in an area that is overshadowed by tension and conflict.