"See you ; SilwanSilwan", 2022.
Group project: Katrina Katsa, Daneya Saabne, Osher Kasa.
Osher Kasa
Silwan, a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem, lies along the southeastern slopes of the Old City. On the same rocky spur, south of the Temple Mount and near the Gihon Spring and the Pool of Siloam, stands the archaeological site identified as the “City of David” — one of the most excavated and narratively framed sites in the region.
The work examines the encounter between an excavated historical layer, shaped and presented as a national narrative, and a contemporary living space existing under supervision and control. Here, archaeology is not merely a scientific practice, but a mechanism that defines belonging, ownership, and visibility.
The landscape of Silwan reveals a hierarchy of value: what is preserved, what is emphasized, and what remains outside the frame. Between the slopes and the valleys, not only layers of soil are exposed, but layers of power.
A stop-motion sequence moves between Silwan and the site marked as the “City of David.” The slow progression highlights an almost imperceptible shift — a transition between spaces that differ in care, maintenance, and in the way they are curated for the public gaze.
As part of the project, we met with a family who have lived in Silwan for generations. Their testimony is woven into the work as a continuous thread — a reminder that this space is not only an excavated past, but an ongoing present