Jiayi Chen

Extension Wing of Pilgrims’ Road

They are digging endlessly for the sacred ‘truth’ on the sacrifice of people’s home.

Political archaeology has become a dominant strategy for the Israeli authorities to claim their sovereignty in Palestine by Judaizing Palestine, especially East Jerusalem, into a home for Jews and Israeli. Bonding with tourism exploitation, the archaeological events intensify evictions on local Palestinian and aggregate Judaization with selective narrations told to the clueless visitors. Focusing on the Wadi Hilweh neighbourhood in Silwan, East Jerusalem, the thesis project aims to reveal Israel’s oppressive invasion satirically and to arouse people’s awareness and reflection by creating an underground museum in the heart of Wadi Hilweh.

The role of architecture here is to honestly present the issue to those who have not seen its full picture. The project will be a political satire criticizing Israel Judaizing a Palestinian neighbourhood with selective narration told to the world. Simultaneously, the project also intends to become the subject of critique by mimicking Israel’s measures,

A museum is a place to curate, showcase and hide specific facts, which is identical with the Israeli government’s strategies on Judaization. The extension wing of the Pilgrims’ Road is to exhibit and commemorate the misery of Palestinian lives under political archaeology silently in a hidden and honest way.