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Press Release

For immediate release on 21 March 2011

Media Contacts
London: Ahmad Barclay | ahmad [at] arenaofspeculation.org
Doha: Dena Qaddumi | dena [at] arenaofspeculation.org


New website arenaofspeculation.org opens window on ‘spatial resistance’ in Israel-Palestine

Architects, planners and spatial thinkers launch open platform for analysis, advocacy and activism towards transforming the balance of spatial power.

Access, 2011 (left to right): Israeli ID, West Bank ID, Gaza ID, stateless Palestinian refugees
Access, 2011 (left to right): Israeli ID, West Bank ID, Gaza ID, stateless Palestinian refugees

The recent release of the ‘Palestine Papers’ (the leaked cache of PLO negotiations documents) laid bare the structural failings of the ‘peace process’, underlining the need for a transformative discourse. In parallel, we are witnessing an overwhelming wave of political change across the Arab World, driven by a renewed belief in the power of individual and collective action. Can we read these regional developments as a prelude to new ways of challenging entrenched territorial realities in Israel-Palestine?

arenaofspeculation.org was established by an international group of architects, planners and spatial thinkers as a collective platform for exposing, confronting and subverting the dominant structures of spatial power in Israel-Palestine. Already, a growing movement of civil society organisations, academic institutions and activist groups are engaged in such ‘spatial resistance’ through practices ranging from concrete acts of construction to academic research and political advocacy work.

arenaofspeculation.org seeks to build on this sphere of agency, sharing critically aware perspectives in the form of original publications, field reports, interviews, mappings and other related projects. The website also supports and publicises key events and actions both on the ground and internationally.

Co-founder Ahmad Barclay explains, “By deliberately juxtaposing speculation with activism, we hope to provoke collective engagement towards an alternative spatial future.”

The site already features a number of original publications and exclusive interviews with high-profile activists and thinkers including Jeff Halper of ICAHD and Alessandro Petti of Decolonizing Architecture, and is actively working to widen its network of contributors.

Visit the website at https://arenaofspeculation.org/ for more information. If you would like to be involved, contribute or share any comments, get in touch at:

info [at] arenaofspeculation.org

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