Hardpressed Collective—>
The Olive Tree Project
About the group/work
The Hard Pressed Collective is a group of video artists working in support of a just peace in Israel/Palestine. This project was inspired by the solidarity efforts around the olive harvest in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Members include: Riad Bahhur, Richard Fung, Rebecca Garrett, John Greyson, Jayce Salloum, and b.h. Yael. The Olive Project coordinator at
Charles Street Video is Greg Woodbury.
The olive tree has been a long standing source of nourishment and livelihood for many peoples around the Mediterranean Sea. Images of olive branches and leaves have been used to symbolize peace for millennia. Olive oil is also a potent food, a rich salve,a currency, an energy source, and a site of struggle.
Since the second Intifada in Palestine and Israel, the olive harvest in the Occupied Palestinian Territories has been disrupted by violence, with Israeli military forces and settlers preventing Palestinian farmers from bringing in the crop. Since 1967, more than 200,000 olive trees have been uprooted by Israeli forces from Palestinian land. This has prompted a campaign by hundreds of international and Israeli volunteers to provide protection for Palestinian olive farmers and help them harvest their crop and prevent their theft and destruction by Israeli settlers. The Olive
Project is an artistic contribution to this solidarity effort.
Hardpressed Collective participates in
RRF v.2 Real Play
curated by Gita Hashemi