Second look (2) : Alley of immortals

Thinking, about the endless sea of photos and information that is flooding our daily life, i’ve started to wonder about what are we really seeing when looking at photo in magazine,newspaper,internet,TV,exhibition…

Alley of immortals

Quick glimpse on the photo, and we can see the line of plastic dolls, used for exhibiting probably the dresses from nearby clothing shop called Beauty Girl. Photo could be taken almost anywhere in the world, considering the ambient, this could be taken somewhere in mediterranean, could be Italy – kingdom of high fashion. But this ain’t no high fashion shop. High fashion shops are all shining, clean, filled with brainwashing advertisement billboards. And this dolls look worn out, used, damaged and scratched. Like the many of bypassers, which look at them daily, are.

Photography was taken in Gaza city centre, in Gaza strip on 4^th of June 2011.

 

 

Those plastic dolls actually are in a line, with backs against the wall. Similar to the people, which live near this alley. You could compare this line formation of the dolls to one, that soldiers use. If this would be soldiers, the doll in a white-facing the camera would be some higher ranking official, inspecting the privates and their equipment. In this case, people inspect the dresses. During the inspection, soldiers are at attention, silent and still. Dolls are the same all the time. But if they could talk-they would have something to say. Things about the suffering of the people that pass them by. Because they could relate to them. At least neighbourhood people saw can see them daily, like we can see those people on TV, in newspapers… How they have to remain positioned there against their own will, some of them even tied by their necks to the wall. Like the prisoners. The higher ranked doll wears the white shirt, and it looks like it can move freely, while others are imprisoned and waiting. Waiting forever. The first doll from the left looks relaxed, like it’s used to posing. Next two dolls are tied, characterizing the fundamental and more conservative principles and rules for women, that Hamas imposed when it won elections in Gaza strip. But the dolls, they don’t care about politics, they are not aware of occupation, they are dead, static. But the people of Palestine are not, even with serious bruises, scratches, shooting wounds, shrapnel injuries, amputated limbs – they remain alive with strong spirit to resist the ties around their necks. They are the ones who hold the spirit of immortality.