Inspired by her own research into the history of Palestinian glass-making and a lifelong fascination for what these artefacts represent, both culturally and artistically, artist and designer Dima Srouji has fashioned a distinctive visual language that borders on the fantastical. Yet, there is an undeniable familiarity that connects with the audience on an emotional level. It is these qualities that have earned her creation spots in collections of museums around the world. And now, as part of Dig Deeper: Discovering an Ancient Glass Workshop at the world-renowned Corning Museum of Glass in USA, she is making space at the table for the ancient Palestinian glass-blowing community.
“I really was interested in tracing some of the pieces that were excavated from [Palestine] and ended up in these Western institutions, mostly because I was starting to think about the idea of displaced objects being just as important as displaced people,” Srouji tells AD.
“There's a long conversation around the right to return for Palestinian refugees,” she continues. “Millions of us were displaced after the Nakba in 1948. ‘Ghosts’ addresses this idea of return in a wider lens, with the return of our own parts of our land through these objects, that are made out of the sand from home.”
Each ‘Ghost’ on display is a duplicate of an original piece of antique glassware currently held in a foreign museum’s collection, rendered in clear glass – marking them as ‘Ghosts’ when compared to the bright colours and patinas of their predecessors – by the expert glassblowers of Jaba’ village, in Palestine. These are displayed alongside images of the original, placing them in dialogue, as well as text behind each artefact explaining how they would have been used.
Palestine has a rich heritage of artisanal crafts, including glassblowing, woodcarving, textiles, soap making and stone carving. However, the political and economic situation in the country – caused by the Israeli occupation – leaves little room for these industries to grow.
As both a Palestinian and an artist, Srouji feels it is her ethical responsibility to support Palestinian industries. “This is intergenerational skill that has been carried through hundreds of years,” she says. “The Twam family – who I am working with – is actually four generations now, working in the same studio.”
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Supporting traditional makers, however, does not mean relying solely on traditional methods. Instead, Srouji’s reproductions utilise modern techniques, from 3D modelling of concepts to the crystal-clear porcelain glass material the ‘Ghosts’ are shaped from, reflecting the imperative of contemporary art and design to incorporate innovation and avoid stagnation.
“There is no nostalgic paralysis, where you're honouring the history of craft in a way that does not move forward,” Srouji explains. “There's no shame in using technology and new forms of making.”
“I think it's too simplistic to say: ‘Palestinian glass looks like this’,” she says. “There is such richness to the industry. That's the point, I think, of trying to not shy away from moving things forward with new technologies and new designers, even [as we] bring back old archaeological forms.”
Despite an ongoing discourse surrounding the repatriation of cultural artefacts in museums to their native lands, in reality it remains incredibly difficult to return aboriginal objects to Palestine. There is no current precedent for such an action, and the debate around the issue raises many questions of provenance, statehood and legitimacy.
Shown in the Corning Museum of Glass, alongside archaeological vessels provided by the Israel Antiquities Authority, the presence of these ‘Ghosts’ serves as a critical rebuttal to notion of institutional ownership, and the displacement of Palestinian artefacts.
“My ideal scenario would be that these things wouldn't be returned to any museum or institution; they would be returned to people’s homes,” Srouji insists. “These [kinds of] objects are still used all the time. My grandmother still has an oil cup on her kitchen table. They belong to the people.”
‘Ghosts’ will continue to be shown at the Corning Museum of Glass – as part of their ‘Dig Deeper: Discovering an Ancient Glass Workshop’ exhibition – until January 7, 2024.
