Bendiciones desde abajo. Dima Srouji

Dima Srouji presents at La Casa Encendida a project that brings together glass pieces inspired by an ancient fish-shaped vessel and a historical dialogue on Palestinian craftsmanship.

La Casa Encendida, a Madrid cultural centre that hosts exhibitions and activities, is presenting this project by Dima Srouji, which brings the institution's Fundación cycle to a close. The project is based on a series of glass pieces made by the Palestinian glass industry, inspired by a fourth-century vessel with a fish-shaped silhouette held at the Jordan Archaeological Museum.

The title refers to an exchange documented in the early twentieth century between the craftsman Abd-el-Nerughni, from Hebron, and the architect Charles Robert Ashbee, who was an adviser in Jerusalem at the time. Faced with the decline of his trade, the glassblower replied 'Mafish baraka', an expression meaning there is no blessing. Srouji revisits the tension between that loss and the will to keep creating under adverse conditions, and uses the figure of the fish as a symbol of resurrection.

Dima Srouji, who is based in London and is a researcher at the Royal College of Art, combines sculpture, archival documentation and audiovisual media. She works on an ongoing basis with craftspeople and archaeologists to recover traditional techniques and to delve deeper into the material history of Palestine and the Mediterranean region.