Turning this vulnerability into artistic expression, two Palestinian artists have co-created Losing It, a performance art piece to be shown in Hong Kong on February 27 and 28 as part of the Hong Kong Arts Festival’s “Arab Arts Focus” series.
Born in the United States to a Palestinian refugee mother, choreographer and multidisciplinary artist Samar Haddad King is based between New York and Haifa, the third-largest city in Israel, her base for collaboration with long-time friend Samaa Wakim.
Haifa was part of Palestine until the first war of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 1948, when it became part of the then newly established state of Israel.
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“A big part of my inspiration for Losing It was being born and raised in a region of so much tension and war,” says Wakim.
She explains that places like Haifa are referred to as “the 48”, meaning formerly Palestinian territories that have been occupied and claimed by Israel since 1948.
It is also where her Palestinian family has been living since her grandfather was displaced from his village.
“We don’t have bombs falling on us where my family is, but bombs can be heard day and night. Nothing is certain. You don’t know when things will escalate,” she says.
Existing in a state of constant unease, Wakim started writing stories about the events of her experience in what she regards as Israeli-occupied Palestine.
As a dancer and choreographer, she began to analyse the physicality of her feelings and her body’s reactions in different encounters.
“When you live in a war zone, your senses become very sharp, especially your hearing and all your survival mechanisms,” she says. “You start to differentiate the noises: this rocket is going from here to there, this is a helicopter for wounded soldiers.”
She took the concept to Haddad King, who observes that sound is often “the only sense to decipher” in situations where sightlines can be compromised.
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The duo then began to experiment with different noises, resulting in an atmospheric soundtrack for Losing It which features field recordings from their homeland.
Wakim says the audience will see how the music and soundscape affect her presence on stage, while, in turn, her movement will also affect the sound.
“We’re trying to create a parallel world where the character tries to find balance and sanity on a single slackline. But touching the slackline is also like touching a beehive, the way all the sounds and traumas come out, including my inherited generational trauma from my grandparents, as well as my own.”
It’s pure horror. They’re facing death at any moment, whether it’s a bomb falling on their head, a bulldozer coming over them, a sniper, starvation or disease
Haddad King says when she went out for a coffee with Wakim, she felt “a great sense of unease, as if we were being watched”.
“So many people were armed”, from soldiers to civilians.
Meanwhile, her friends and colleagues in Gaza were living in conditions “worse than the worst nightmare that anyone can ever have”.
“It’s pure horror. They’re facing death at any moment, whether it’s a bomb falling on their head, a bulldozer coming over them, a sniper, starvation or disease.”
While she and Wakim are in a different situation compared to their peers in Gaza fighting through a humanitarian crisis, and to the Palestinian diaspora around the world, there is one thing which “has always united Palestinians throughout the globe”, says Haddad King.
That is the fact they all have had their country and nationality stripped from them, she says.
“We’re in a privileged position because we’re not facing death exactly, but terrifying things are still happening. People get murdered just for being Arab. Every one of us outside the war zone is just trying to help them keep faith and keep hope.”
The pair trust that there is value in using their craft to contribute to the arts, as well as the Palestinian cause.
“We have to believe in binding together as humans for global awareness and political pressure. Every single human in this world deserves to live in dignity.”
Haddad King adds that Losing It has “a very clear message”.
“Samaa is fighting for her life on stage, which is one of the most beautiful things – it’s just to get balanced on a rope, but something about the effort she exerts is relentless. She won’t stop. She keeps going in the dark. She doesn’t give up.
“The mix of grace and strength is so gripping. It’s in your face. It’s not delicate, but it’s also not violent.”
Both artists will perform on stage in Losing It, with choreography by Wakim and music and soundscape by Haddad King.
