Far and Beyond- Object Relations Virtual Global Journey
Between January and July 2020, photography students of Naggar School, Jerusalem and interns and staff of WOTE, Portland, worked together on an online exchange program. The program consisted of varied tasks developed by Naggar's Department of Phototherapy and Photography, conducting a photographic-visual individual research.
The goal of the program, following a photographic introductory assignment, was to make use of an object in order to reach significant emotional content relating to intergenerational transference, cultural heritage, and the story telling of a personal journey as part of a collective one.
The core part of the online virtual exchange revolved around a Photographic-Visual research of an object with significant personal meaning, which also entails within it a cultural collective
meaning. During the process, the participants were asked to choose such an object and follow its transformative trail via photographic acts. The object underwent a journey of transformation; it went through change of form and locations.
At first, the participants started their journey within their homes, and chose an object with personal meaning, an object that "called out to them”.
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The participants then changed the location of the selected object to a location that would work best with it, while exploring how it is affected and affects its immediate environment.
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Next, the participants explored the object and "treated" it (either physically-realistically or alternatively processed its photograph).
Finally, the participants moved the object to the space outside the house, while examining whether and how it fits into its environment.
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At this point the objects are ready for the significant part of the journey- To be placed at a location on Earth chosen especially for each one, by the participants.
As a final act, at a time when humanity is grounded due to Covid19, the participants were asked to place their object using the Google Earth platform in a specific (virtual) location, meaningful to the object’s story and history-The chosen location could be a place where the participants would like to be in or their dream place, perhaps the place where they or their ancestors were born in, it could be the place of origin of the object itself or any other location in the world that holds a meaning to the object, or that it would fit into in an interesting way. The new locations chosen by the participants also entail a conceptual, visual, personal, emotional or cultural unique meaning.
For example, a night lamp inherited from the parents' home found its place in the childhood home, hundreds of kilometers from its current home, emphasizing emotional connections, a kind of transition object, one that gives light, helps in transition from childhood to adulthood; A small statue of a bird connected to the mourning of a meaningful person, was transferred to a cliff at the end of a fjord in Norway. Touching unfulfilled dreams and offering relief.
This was a private and individual, but also an interpersonal and a group process.
The video below is a screenshot of the Google Earth © platform hopping between the participants virtual placing of their object around the globe
