We hope you can join us for this thought-provoking session with photographer and artist, Aviv Yaron.
With: Aviv Yaron
Date: Sunday 16 February 2025
Time: 10am–1pm
Venue: Relational Spaces, Mulberry Room, Langdale House, 11 Marshalsea Road, London SE1 1EN (2 min walk from Borough Station)
About the topic
Aviv Yaron writes:
‘In Another Place’ is an ongoing body of work linking landscape and memory, whilst visiting trauma sites in Israel of what used to be, until 1948, the home to Palestinian communities. Most of the places I photograph were vacated by force just before, and during, the Israeli war of independence (1947–49). Their native Palestinian occupants were never allowed back to what used to be their homes – not even when the circumstances, which led to their expulsion, changed.
Typically, there are no indications on-site, nor any signage to represent the Palestinian history of these vacant locations. There are certainly no attempts by the state to commemorate the past Palestinian heritage related to these places, let alone own up to any wrong-doing that took place during the colonisation of these lands. On the contrary – state institutions and indoctrinating narratives ensure any representation of the native Palestinians’ history is either completely erased from consciousness or, at the very least, camouflaged.
It took me 45 years (17 years of which living in a different country) to suddenly be confronted by the realism that a substantial amount of Israeli homes are established on the grounds of what used to be, until 1948, Arab villages. Ever since childhood I have been seduced by the Israeli countryside – its breath-taking nature, and its ancient history. The traditional Palestinian settlements dotted amongst its landscape, and the farmland terrain surrounding them, perfectly matched a Judeo-Christian romantic perception I somehow adopted of the Holy Land and its ‘natives’ – my ancestors.
It was as if Palestinians never had a past of their own. Their ‘native’ ways were but a mere simulation to a past of the real, rightful owners of the place we now all shared. After all, this was our promised land, not theirs, and I was part of those privileged chosen people – always aware of our history of constantly fighting to maintain these ancient, divine rights and the desire to exist as a nation.
There was never a real allowance for an eye-level consideration of ‘the other’ occupants of the land – or, indeed, an empathetic view of their own ties to that very same land, and the meaning these held for them. These are the signs and traces I have encountered during my travelling, then, to what used to be other people’s homes, where I never explored beyond a romantic nostalgia. Nowadays, any clues to a Palestinian past, in these vacant places I visit, are barely etched into a landscape which was encouraged to camouflage tragedies of its modern history. ‘In Another Place’ is a self-reflective examination of a place – holding in mind its untold history.
About Aviv Yaron
Aviv has been practising photography professionally – both commercially, and as an artist – since 1991. Starting as a still life photographer, he then progressed with the advancements in digital imagery to find himself at the forefront of that technological revolution. Commercially, Aviv has immersed himself in providing visual effects photography for computer generated imagery – becoming an expert practitioner in both the analogue and the digital realms of image making. Both worlds have influenced his artistic endeavour, where he is in search of the direct contact with the photographic material and the intentions that motivate the creative process.
‘…My photography is about ritualizing ways of ‘contemplative seeing’. It is about responding to states of presence – resonating inner and outer landscapes whilst engaged in a ‘visual poetry’. At that moment, the camera is no longer separating the world from the photographer. To me, this is a ‘decisive observation’. It is both a psychological peak – a response to unconscious motivations – and a spiritual one, whereby the captured image contains both the subject and the photographer…’ Aviv.
Find out more on Aviv Yaron’s website and on his Instagram.
About our Pluralogues
For those new to this event, the Pluralogue is a space where we get together to both learn and socialise, meet some new colleagues and find out what others are up to.
The term ‘Pluralogue’ was coined by Doron many years ago, to depict moving beyond monologue to dialogue: to pluralogue (the conversation of many). We hope to learn together and from each other in the form of a learning community in a friendly atmosphere.
The added bonus is that we structure it as a CPD event so you will be able to count it as CPD hours (a CPD certificate will be provided as well).
Booking information
Places cost:
- £15 for Relational Spaces members
- £25 for non-members
To confirm your booking please email us at therapyroomsuk@gmail.com and we will reply with details of how to pay.
Cancellation policy
Please note we do not offer refunds for our events. However, if you ask to cancel your booking more than 7 days before the event, you’ll receive a one-time use (no-cancellation) credit for a future event.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Warm regards,
Dianne, Doron and Cressy
07426 336 322
Image: Al-Jammama_1.2 (detail-triptych) by Aviv Yaron.
