Date:
December 21, 2024, 4:00 – 6:00pm
Recess
46 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205
Designer Khloe Swanson, sound artist Kafilah M, and filmmakers Serene Murad and Helen-Klass Warch of the Palestine Before Project will host an interdisciplinary event examining architecture, archives, and Palestinian resilience. Khloe will present an ongoing project that stands in solidarity with Palestinian resistance and liberation. The project is a collection of work produced by students of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation that foster daily engagement with issues of colonialism, war, and systems of oppression. Alongside this project, Khloe will present a section of literature, poetry, and archival material that place Palestinian liberation in the context of struggles for global liberation.
Kafilah M will curate a screening of a documentary by Murad, Dina Amin, Warch, and Tamara Hazou, exploring Palestinian narrative history, alongside music by DJ RAQX. The event highlights cultural heritage and archival practices as vital to preserving collective memory.
Artwork from the collaboration will be featured in the space, and both projects invite contributions to their archives:
Through lectures, screenings, and discussions, this event seeks to illuminate the power of cultural heritage archiving in global struggles for liberation.
To learn more about the film visit: thepalestinebeforeproject.org
Kafilah M, from Brooklyn, NYC, holds interest in research, science and sound. She is fascinated with organic rhythms and the interconnectedness of the systems we reside in. Whether crafting sound or weaving songs together through the art of Djing, she is an enthusiastic collector of audio. Her sound pieces and other works are inspired by abstractions and the beautiful equilibrium of daily life.
Serene Murad is a Palestinian researcher, activist, and creative, raised between Jerusalem and Ramallah. Her work looks at the intersection of trauma, community, and culture. She has experience in community-based research, strategy work, and advocacy including with organizations in the Middle East, working in Human Rights and direct service provision within refugee communities. She is deeply involved in artistic and cultural communities in Palestine including those focused on Dabka/modern dance, and storytelling. She is currently working on a documentary that aims to capture the experiences and stories of Palestinian elders before the Israeli occupation through intergenerational conversations about home, resistance and identity.
Helen Klass-Warch, originally from Saint Paul, MN, is a researcher and co-producer for the Palestine Before Project. Her work is centered on advancing humanitarian relief through the improvement of urban and regional systems, particularly in resource distribution, mobility, and environmental justice. Helen is currently pursuing a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on transportation and natural hazard planning in Mérida, Mexico.
DJ RAQX is a DJ, event producer, and educator from New York with Puerto Rican and German roots. Her music selection is heavily influenced by her hybrid cultures, playing vinyl and digital sets that explore 90s NY house, Latin deep cuts, and all varieties of old dance music blended with new club and reggaeton sounds. She has been DJing and producing events in Brooklyn with @misschiefcollective for over seven years, as well as performing internationally in Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. Alongside teaching DJ classes at Superior Elevation, she has worked at secondhand record stores and currently teaches elementary school in NYC public schools.