A geotextile is a permeable cloth-like material used to increase soil stability, provide erosion control, separate soil layers, and/or aid in drainage. At a site known as Qasr al-Yahud, the...
A geotextile is a permeable cloth-like material used to increase soil stability, provide erosion control, separate soil layers, and/or aid in drainage. At a site known as Qasr al-Yahud, the Jordan River is only a few meters wide, and for most of the year can almost be traversed on foot. Israeli and Jordanian soldiers who patrol the area spend most of their shifts just sitting idly, facing each other. One might argue that envisioning two distinct sides to this minimalistic waterway is an exercise in imagination. Littwitz’s symbolic act of submerging the textiles on either side of the border was as simple as it was transgressive; the work disrespects the idea of an un-crossable border. While the immersion obviously echoes the Christian rite of baptism that for millennia has been performed at this specific site, Littwitz’s performative double-dipping questions the sanctity of a human-made border in relation to a divine precept. Especially considering that, due to political and logistical reasons, the certified baptismal site was in 1967 moved from the side currently occupied by Israel to the Jordanian side.