At 12:30 am on May 31st, police from across the state raided a peaceful protest at UCSC’s community encampment for a free Gaza. After a 14-hour violent standoff, returning to the site of the raid was challenging for our community. Returning required that we ground ourselves in the same place where our safety and agency were threatened at the hands of police. 

Solidarity Weaving for Collective Healing is a 5’x3’ wooden loom woven with plants collected from the site and surrounding neighborhoods. The piece, located at the site of the raid, served to support grounding with one another in a space full of memory for all of us. Protestors were invited to reclaim the space by collecting plants and adding to the piece. The plants lived and died on the loom as a memorial to those who have passed in Gaza, and those who experienced brutality during the raid. 

The original work was destroyed by police at the end of the strike.

It reads: 

"An invitation: if you feel moved to do so, please add to this collaborative artwork.

Everything we weave will live and die here, as an offering in solidarity with our comrades in Palestine. 

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

-M”

Kearney Street Workshop APATURE 2024: Return