Photography exhibit provokes dialogue about Middle East
by Adriani Leon
News | 4/1/08
Posted online at 2:53 AM EST on 4/1/08
Deb Laufer '08, who helped plan the exhibit, said that she thought the group started a dialogue in a way that has not been presented on this campus and has been actively shut down in the past.
"We are trying to get out a dialogue instead of a specific message. All of us felt an obligation to share this with the campus and have there be more dialogue in the process," Laufer said.
"We need to stop being politically correct and say what we feel," Schwartzbaum said.
Garret Nada '10, a member of the trip's planning committee, said that the club members had done well by selecting a location that was very public, which allowed people to come in and out freely, removing stigma that might be attached to listening to an unpopular perspective on campus.
Many who viewed the exhibit remarked that the photos were in contrast to views they were brought up with, but they were grateful to listen to the journeys of the students who went there, ask questions and process the information together.
There seemed to be a dichotomy between students who were shocked by the photos and others who were struck more by the comments, although most seemed to agree that the photos were, for the most part, apolitical in nature and instead provided a way to get students talking about various topics associated with the photographs.
John Sussman '11 said, "I wasn't sure what was going to be here, [whether] the photos were aesthetic or have a social message … it's almost surprising, when you think of the conflict in Israel, you think of violent images. These are not like that; they are almost normal. That sort of perspective is usually lacking in the media."
Gabriel Gaskin '08, who went on the trip, said he anticipates "reading a wide variety of expressions about the photos because as soon as we put it up yesterday, people were already writing."
Schwartzbaum said the trip did not help her come to a conclusion about her opinion on the Arab-Israeli conflict, but instead helped her to ask more questions of herself and learn to see things from a different perspective, "The conversations are not over, they are just starting," she said.
The group is currently exploring opportunities to display the exhibit elsewhere.
"We are trying to get out a dialogue instead of a specific message. All of us felt an obligation to share this with the campus and have there be more dialogue in the process," Laufer said.
"We need to stop being politically correct and say what we feel," Schwartzbaum said.
Garret Nada '10, a member of the trip's planning committee, said that the club members had done well by selecting a location that was very public, which allowed people to come in and out freely, removing stigma that might be attached to listening to an unpopular perspective on campus.
Many who viewed the exhibit remarked that the photos were in contrast to views they were brought up with, but they were grateful to listen to the journeys of the students who went there, ask questions and process the information together.
There seemed to be a dichotomy between students who were shocked by the photos and others who were struck more by the comments, although most seemed to agree that the photos were, for the most part, apolitical in nature and instead provided a way to get students talking about various topics associated with the photographs.
John Sussman '11 said, "I wasn't sure what was going to be here, [whether] the photos were aesthetic or have a social message … it's almost surprising, when you think of the conflict in Israel, you think of violent images. These are not like that; they are almost normal. That sort of perspective is usually lacking in the media."
Gabriel Gaskin '08, who went on the trip, said he anticipates "reading a wide variety of expressions about the photos because as soon as we put it up yesterday, people were already writing."
Schwartzbaum said the trip did not help her come to a conclusion about her opinion on the Arab-Israeli conflict, but instead helped her to ask more questions of herself and learn to see things from a different perspective, "The conversations are not over, they are just starting," she said.
The group is currently exploring opportunities to display the exhibit elsewhere.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Joseph Lingerfeldt
posted 4/01/08 @ 2:43 PM EST
There are errors in this article. The first is that this group is not a club, it is a group on campus that has no association with Brandeis in any way. (Continued…)
people like you
posted 4/01/08 @ 9:28 PM EST
People like you stiffle dialogue.
Thomas Eagleton
posted 4/02/08 @ 9:03 AM EST
There is no 'dispute' over the Palestinian Territories; international law says they are lands not belonging to the state of Israel but occuppied by them. (Continued…)
Ian Zwerling
posted 4/03/08 @ 12:52 PM EST
Hey TE, nice name for a Palestinian. Read UN resolution 242 to educate yourself. Isnt that what college is for? Since there was never a Palestinian state, they rejected the two-state solution, they forgo any legal right to lands they left in a war they started. (Continued…)
Post a Comment