Glass Workshop at Bezalel Academy

Before making their way into Palestine, FWP artists James, Tan, Guido, and Oben stopped over at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem (with their host, professor Dafna Kaffeman). While there, they ran a glass-making workshop with the students of the glass department. For details, check out Ayelet Dekel's excellent article for MidnightEast, a site focusing on Israeli culture and events.

Hebron: First Few Days in Photographs

I've got a few photos from our artists currently spending time in Hebron to film a documentary about the Al Salam glass factory. James and Tan are making friends, the Al Salam glassworkers share their techniques, and the city is sunny and eclectic. To keep track of their journey, keep an eye on the "hebron" tag!

"The Road to Hebron" Travel Diary #1

FWP artists James McLeod, Oben Abright, Tan Kurttekin, Guido Gerlitz are currently visiting the Al Salam glass factory in Hebron to film a documentary about their traditions and day-to-day operations in the area. Here is a glimpse of their experiences so far from James:

Al Salam in July 2010

We have had a fascinating week here in the holy land after landing in Tel Aviv last Sunday. We spent the first half of the week at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design working with students in the Glass Department. Israel is a small country and their glass community equally small. We spent three days working with students to share our knowledge of our craft and the results were visible immediately. We met with such an unbelievably warm and generous group that it was hard to move on when the workshop was finished. After a night of camping at the Dead Sea with some students, we were off to Hebron on Friday.

We have been here two days now and have had the chance to work at the Al Salam Ceramic factory and have also had a chance to explore the old city of Hebron. I cannot impress enough the hospitality that we have found here. Whether it is an invitation for tea or just a passing story, the Hebronites are nothing but warm, hospitable, and generous with their time. Our filming has been going well but not without a brief interruption from the Israeli military yesterday afternoon: It seems that there was a military checkpoint in the background of a number of our photographs. It is hard to avoid that here. The day that we arrived (Friday) the city of Hebron made international news.

Our director of photography, Tan Kurttekin has been doing a masterful job weaving together a story of glass in the Holy Land and we have discovered so much more than we could have ever expected. Often times with a project like this, the result can change drastically from one's original concept because of the logistics involved. So far, we have asked for so much and received everything more. Stay tuned!

 

 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Years, Yeni mutlu yıllar, سنة جديدة سعيدة, שנה טובה ברכה לראש-השנה

Hello and happy New Year's Day from Floating World Projects!

As 2010 comes to a close I would like to personally thank everyone for your support and encouragement over the past year. Here in Istanbul the beautiful and crystal clear day highlights this cities majestic character and the streets are filling up as the Turks prepare for the night's festivities. I have the pleasure of visiting with many of the wonderful artists that are working with over the past few days and as usual, these moments serve as indelible reminders of the important need for organizations like FWP. On Sunday we are off to Jerusalem for a workshop at the Bezalel University and then the West Bank city of Hebron to conclude our documentary of Al-Salem glass factory. We hope that you stay tuned over the next week as we will be updating our blog daily.

We hope you all have a great 2011! Follow along this year as we release our documentary The Road to Hebron, produce major exhibitions in San Francisco and Boston, release new music, travel around the US with Turkish artists for residency programs, and more!

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Merry Christmas!

If you celebrate Christmas, have a wonderful day! If you don't, have a wonderful day too! Settle in with some hot chocolate and a warm blanket and enjoy the season (unless you live in a warm climate... in which case, get a nice tan!). Here are some FWP artworks in shades of red and green to fit with the holiday.