Critical Practice Studio / مشاع للممارسة الناقدة

Principle Investigator; Co-directed with Omar Hmidat; Al-Quds Bard College, Open Societies University Network; Dheisheh Refugee Camp/Berlin. (2021-2022)

The CPS is an ambitious post-disciplinary and bi-lingual intensive program conducted in both Arabic and/or English. The term-long pilot program saw three stages materialize in between 2021 and 2022: a reading week, a week-long hybrid residency that took place online and in Dheisheh, Palestine, and the in-person exhibition of our participants’ projects in Berlin from the 8th to the 12th of January 2022. The CPS seeks to bring together students, scholars, artists, architects and activists from a local and trans-national network of institutions and communities both in Palestine and across the globe.

to translate (v.)

early 14c., “to remove from one place to another,” also “to turn from one language to another,”

Usually translation is associated to the Latin ‘translatio’ = to carry across/over. The term is also close to the meaning of the Greek “metaphora” (=transference, to carry across) but has a distinct sense to the extent that it is primarily associated to the passage of meaning from one language to another. Translation foregrounds place and language as interrelated matters that situate our linguistic vocabulary and epistemic horizon and thus shape the frame of reference within which our social, architectural, and political life and practices take place.

Output / exhibition:

Archive of lectures, screenings and events:

Access available upon request. Please contact me.


co-directors: Jens Haendeler, Omar Hmidat

steering committee: Omar Hmidat, Max Weiss (Princeton), Ivonne Santoyo-Orozco (Bard)

tutors: Andrea Cassatella, (Makerere) Ziad Faraj, (Laylac ) Nadine Fattaleh, (NYU) Laura Menchaca Ruiz, (Al-Quds Bard) Max Weiss (Princeton)

fellows: Jacob Bertilsson, Jacob Bolton, Maath Musleh

hybrid residency participants: Christin Alhalabi, Anas Alkhatib, Raneem Ayyad, Raj Chakrapani, Monika Dorniak, Bisan Hammid, Bisan Jaffari, Mahar Musleh, Ahmed Obaid, Anas Saifi, Nawal Salaymeh, Abigail Toomey, Sondos Zaghari

invited guests: Jumanah Abbas, Wisam Al Jafari

media consultant: Rami Fararjeh, Sa’ed Hmidat

residency coordinator: Ammar Chamroukh

web design and development: 

Element Media, http://www.element.ps

with special thanks to: Daniel Calingaert, (OSUN) Malik Hmidat (special consultant)