In this lecture, architects Areej Al-Ashhab and Serene Alawi from the Al-Block collective will present their recent work on Wadi al-Sarar. This valley extends from the central mountains of Palestine to the Mediterranean Sea, passing through the West Bank, rural Jerusalem, and several Palestinian villages that were depopulated in 1948.

Their work examines the valley's role as a crucial connector across these landscapes, cutting through the separation wall, Israeli settlements, and colonial borders that have fragmented historic Palestine, while also linking people and preserving remnants of the past.

The talk is in Arabic. 

Al-Block is an art collective based in occupied Jerusalem, founded in 2020 by architects Serene Alawi and Areej Al-Ashhab. The group uses walking and writing as tools to document and reclaim the absent history of the Palestinian landscape. Their first project, “Wadi Beit Hanlaila: From a Center of Life to an Isolated Margin”, was launched as part of Riwaq Center’s initiative, “The Disappearing Map: Reframing Jerusalem’s Countryside”. Currently, they are working on “Diaries in Wadi Al-Sarar”, a project that includes organizing public walks and creating a series of publications and counter-maps that challenge colonial mapping systems in Palestine. 

Areej Al-Ashhab is an architect and researcher specializing in community land practices and environmental material studies. She earned her master’s degree in 2022 from the Centre for Research Architecture at Goldsmiths, University of London.  

Serene Alawi is an architect who graduated from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem in 2020 with a Bachelor's in Architecture. She is also a co-founder of Kastomad, a ceramics studio that produces unique pieces inspired by Palestinian culture and life.