Palestinian artists on their performance piece Losing It – playing in Hong Kong – and how living in a war zone affects one’s senses and identity
- Hong Kong-bound Samar Haddad King and Samaa Wakim talk about what it means to be Palestinian, and living in a place beset with tension
- Their performance piece Losing It, in which a dancer strives for balance and her sanity, is an expression of how living in a war zone sounds and feels
It has been over 100 days since Israel declared war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip after the Palestinian militant group’s deadly attacks in its territory.
For the rest of the world, the violent conflict has meant a never-ending stream of disturbing updates and heartbreak; but we are only witnessing the death and destruction on screens and from afar.
For Palestinians, the imminent threat of both is right outside their front door, even if they are outside the Gaza Strip.
Turning this vulnerability into artistic expression, two Palestinian artists have co-created Losing It, a performance art piece to be shown in Hong Kong on February 27 and 28 as part of the Hong Kong Arts Festival’s “Arab Arts Focus” series.
Born in the United States to a Palestinian refugee mother, choreographer and multidisciplinary artist Samar Haddad King is based between New York and Haifa, the third-largest city in Israel, her base for collaboration with long-time friend Samaa Wakim.
Haifa was part of Mandatory Palestine, established under the League of Nations in 1922, until the first war of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 1948, when it became part of the then newly established state of Israel.