'The Other Side'

Lynne Coates documents coexistence projects in Israel. Arabs and Jews transcend cultural and political barriers through art, photography, sport and humanitarian programmes.

The exhibition at the Ben Uri Gallery, The London Jewish Museum of Art is deliberately twinned with a unique exhibition of 50 works by young Palestinian and Israeli children from Jerusalem, 'Painting Pain Dreaming Peace'.

Documenting and researching co-existence projects in Israel, Lynne Coates has highlighted programmes, which, through diverse innovative methods in the arenas of art, education, and sport, encourage dialogue and co-existence between people living in conflict situations.

At the Givat Haviva centre for peace studies, in Northern Israel, the arts department has initiated photography classes for groups of Arab and Jewish, young adults and women, in which the camera becomes a medium in the creation of a dialogue for peace. The groups are able to illustrate their different cultures and reflect their own identity. They learn about each other's traditions, homes, and way of life, discovering similarities, which, in turn, enable discussion, lead to friendships, and achieve a greater understanding.

In an Israeli school for Jewish and Arab children, Jewish and Muslim festivals are celebrated together, in a unique learning environment.

The Peres Centre for Peace runs a football programme which brings children from Israel and the West Bank together, communicating through the sporting arena.

Through her own photographic observations, Lynne has captured an evolving narrative between the Jewish and Arab participants of the projects. By incorporating a background of symbolic landscapes, she has subtly highlighted many of the issues surrounding the conflict.

The exhibition challenges stereotypical imagery of the Israel Palestinian conflict, more usually the focus of the world's media. The images reflect and exemplify some of the extraordinary humanitarian efforts made by those working towards a peaceful coexistence from both sides of the conflict.

The project was funded by the Arts Council England.