Introduction

[Summary of the book containing this introduction:] In Ramallah, Running represents Guy Mannes-Abbott's uniquely personal encounter with Palestine, interweaving short, poetic texts with exploratory essays. International artists and prominent writers have been invited to respond both directly and indirectly to the texts with newly commissioned works.
The text consists of 14 parts, which alternate running within the limits of the city and walking out from it to, along, beyond and off limits, discovering how insidiously mobile those limits are under Occupation. With singular style and compelling force, Mannes-Abbott’s texts generate a very special intimacy with a rarely seen or experienced Palestine.
Jean Fisher contributes a substantial introductory essay, while the poet and critic Najwan Darwish and novelist Adania Shibli have written further captivating responses. Visual contributions include a project linked to a pair of paintings by Francis Alys, drawings of stoney aridity with ambiguous structures by Paul Noble, and a searingly intimate journal-based piece by Emily Jacir. Jananne al-Ani, Khalil Rabah and Mark Titchner contribute varying photography-based projects focused on the place and its relationship to the body and word. Olaf Nicolai contributes an angular text-based project and Sharif Waked highlights the abysmal ambiguities of the political context.
The project is supported by and published in conjunction with ArtSchool Palestine and the Sharjah Art Foundation. ArtSchool Palestine is a non-profit organisation founded in 2005, by a group of art professionals, curators and artists. Sharjah Art Foundation was founded in 2009 to support the flourishing arts environment in the Gulf, international collaboration and exchange.
Guy Mannes-Abbott is a writer, essayist and critic, whose work often appears in visual art contexts, most recently at the Folkestone Triennial. He has taught at the Architectural Association School of Architecture, London and has given regular readings of his work.