Form, Function and Food

The group got together again on Sunday, January 11, 2009. Some of us brought in traditional foods to share, and in breaking bread together, it seemed that we turned a corner from being cautious participants to becoming a cohesive group. It was very clear that we enjoy each other's company and spending time together, and friendships are beginning to form. With the news being what it is in Israel and Gaza, it is wonderful to be part of a group that goes beyond "us" and "them." We began the meeting with a prayer for peace. Then we moved on to talking about the project. In the previous meeting and through follow up emailing, we discussed the themes and content and there were a lot of WORDS. We decided that we needed to start putting a form and structure into the mix. The creativity was flying as we commented on a sketch that Nabila drew before the meeting. In the course of the discussion, what emerged is a 7 panel structure that will be experienced and walked through. It will be in the overall shape of an arch along the top. Each panel will have a number of sides totalling up to 18. The form will allow for figurative and literal different points of view. Some of the panels will show Jewish themes, some will show Muslim themes and some will be a combination, with the center panel being a full inteweaving of both. For the next session, Paul will create a white model of what we discussed and all the artists will bring in sketches for different panels. We all realized we need the visuals to help keep the process going. We were all sorry when the meeting came to an end and look forward to our next session on February 22nd.