Hope Activism

Hope Activism (2015-2018)

Hope Activism took place as a series of sound performances in several places.

It was created as viewer’s response to my previous work “Lullaby of Tomorrow”.

After watching this highly polemic video installation around the Israel- Palestine conflict, people were led to meditate. During this meditation, the invitation was to find the feeling of hope – beyond logic – and transform it into any type of sound; Humming, a melody, a sigh, etc. Sounds were recorded on the spot.

The intention was to empower audiences to connect to the feeling of hope, that there may be peace in this long-lasting conflict. The performance was called ”activism” because believing in a peaceful solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict – beyond knowing the concrete answer – can be seen as a form of activism.

Sounds of each session of hope activism were recorded and sent back to the protagonists of the film. The performance took place seven times in Switzerland, Greece, England and the US.

Concept / Performance by Sonja Schenkel
Sample: Hope Activism at University of Oxford, during the Gaza War of 2015