# Inas Halabi
Tracing The Invisible :
Slow Violence and the Right of Return
To confront slow violence is to take up, in all its temporal complexity, the politics of the visible and the invisible. What happens when we are unsighted, when what extends before us, in the space and time that we most deeply inhabit, remains invisible?
In this talk, Inas will discuss her film practice which is centred on finding new ways of working to address colonial power structures that continue to define our current global condition. A recent and recurring key figure in her work is the landscape and the different ways in which it is controlled and manipulated (by the state), producing various forms of violence that may appear ‘slower’ or ‘less visible’ but are no less damaging. The talk will also delve into the phenomenon of (colonial) greenwashing, particularly examining the strategic policy behind afforestation projects in Palestine, such as the establishment of Israeli national parks on demolished Palestinian villages. By examining some of these cases, the talk will shed light on the historical context of pine trees in Palestine, which emerged with the establishment of the state of Israel. These trees represented a deliberate effort by Zionist settlers to reshape the landscape and camouflage the ruins of the villages in an attempt to erase them. Planting a tree becomes an act of erasing history, an invisible violence that punctures and threatens the right of return. How can we resist this erasure and envision a future of return?
Inas Halabi (b.1988, Palestine) is an Artist/Filmmaker. Her practice is concerned with how social and political forms of power are manifested and the impact that overlooked or suppressed histories have on contemporary life. Recent exhibitions and screenings include Luleåbiennalen, Boden (2024), Reel Palestine, Dubai (2024), TAVROS, Athens (2024), Sharjah Film Platform 6, Sharjah, UAE (2023), Beirut Art Centre (2023), Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival (2023), de Appel, Amsterdam (2023), Showroom, London (2022), Europalia Festival, Brussels (2021), Silent Green Betonhalle, Berlin (2021); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2020); and Film at Lincoln Center, USA (2020). She lives and works between Palestine and the Netherlands.
Thursday 27 June, 4-6pm, IAS Common Ground
The IAS Common Ground (G11) is located at ground level in the South Wing, and is fully accessible from the street. There is an accessible toilet at the entrance to the corridor.
Enter the UCL campus from Gower Street and head towards the top right-hand corner of the quad to enter the building. View on Google Maps or view a UCL campus map
Once inside the building, turn to the right and pass through some double doors. The South Wing corridor is then on your right.
We will be live streaming this talk for people unable to make it to London for the in person event. Please register for the zoom link HERE.
