The Bethlehem Mosaic centre

Art in Stone

عربى

Radio Hayah spoke with Khaldoun Balboul from the Bethlehem mosaic center, Khaldoun what is the Bethlehem mosaic center?.Ra

Bethlehem mosaic center is a result of 20 years of work, of experience, of art, I work during these 20 years in restoration which is more important for me that to create a new mosaic because in restoration I feel myself, it's more important  than the new production and the new mosaic.

When was the place started and why was it started?.

I established my center in 2006 as a nonprofit center, I worked during that time with the minister of tourism as a head of mosaic department, We work in restoration in Jerusalem, in Tunisia, Jordan, Syria, Everywhere. I established by myself, By my hand also I restore my place and I make what I want you know, I have my vision, how to make mosaic, visible for all the people not just for artist, My goal is to make the art easy for any people you know.

Now you have a mosaic center here in Bethlehem, you have a few centers actually, what sort of projects do you do?.

The first project we did was to train, to give the mosaic training for the disabled people, for me the first stage is to teach the disabled people, I make around 5 mosaic course for disabled people, for deaf, for children for women, I work with many associations here in Palestine, also in Jordan, in USA , in China and Syria, I work as a mosaic artist as I told you, to send this art for all the people, children, woman anyone !.

Do the disabled love working with the stone?.

Yes, with disabled children it is another story, If we work as normal people in mosaic,  we work for money as a job but with disabled people it is another story which is more, more beautiful than anyone, because the disabled people they have a lot, a lot of power inside and they want to show the people that they are able not disabled, especially the deaf, I work with the them, they were unbelievable because they can't talk, they can't hear but in a mosaic they can send you all what they want, all the message and that is why I take care about this part, I teach 3 groups of disabled people who are  deaf and about 4 group of disabled people, who have  movement or another kind of disability.

Are the disabled people making amazing art?.

Yes, for that I told you they have a lot of power, they have a lot to say, they can say in the mosaic, through the mosaic, they make a lot of mosaic work and they make something special you know, they are so fast they are so careful to choose the stone, to work, they work hard more than us even.

Is this giving them dignity and hope?.

I think yes, yes .

How do you actually make a mosaic? Do you have to plan and have to be an artist yourself to actually make a mosaic?.

For me the mosaic is myself you know, before I make the mosaic I have to plan how it will be, how it will be at the first point, how it will be different than the other work that I did and what others did.

So the mosaics that you make do you get commissioned to make mosaics, so people come and ask you "can you make this mosaic and can you make that mosaic"?.

Yes, I work 20 years as my lifestyle as my job also, you know all of us work to get salary to get money to live, for sure the mosaic when I make it, it costs me a lot, a lot of time at the first point a lot of money, how to get the stone, how to buy the materials so for sure we take money we take for each square meter there is a price you know, It is up to the details on the price, there is for example some square meter we can do it for 300$ and some square meter you can do for 3000$, Depending on the details.

In the first details you can see who is and who isn't an artist, this is a challenge because the first details, the degree of the colour that can show you the artist, maybe you can find some mosaic work but you don't feel something, something call you or call you art from your soul, and some mosaic you can feel there is something inside, something special, something unique, really you feel comfort, you feel happy when you look at that mosaic, the way how to cut the stone, how to put the stone, how to fix it, how to make the details, how to make the point, how to make all this is up to the experience.

Now you have been commissioned to make two special mosaics for the Bethlehem municipality what are they ?.

Yes, we started a few days ago with 2 wall mosaics which will be up in Bethlehem start street, which is the oldest street, the very important one, the two mosaics will be funded by the Russian government in cooperation between the Bethlehem municipality and Bethlehem rehabilitation center, we have 2 mosaics One will be before the arch on star street, that will be the tree wise men, when they came to Bethlehem and one after the arch which will represent  the arch during the 5^th Century or before, So it will be, the first one will be around 2 meter by 3meter and a half and the other one will be 2 and a half meter by 2 and a half meter.

Are a lot of your mosaics religious ?

It depends, you know , When someone asks me for religious, I can do the religious, Now for example I make for St George one mosaic which will be in Jenin church and that one is religious you know, In Bethlehem there is two kind in the project one which is the three wise men, it will be religious and the other one no, it will represent the lifestyle in Bethlehem and the old view for the arch and the life there.

Do you get the stones locally ?.

Most of the stone is local and most of them are natural, for me I take care to choose the natural stone, sometimes we can't find here in Palestine, I get the natural stone from Jordan. For me the first choice is the natural  stone because the natural stone you can feel there is something special, most of the mosaic work now they are doing by machine, by modern machine they cut the stone and they use the modern mosaic which is glass or something which is made by people you know but for me you are special when you choose something special, my way is another way, I like to choose the old way to cut the stone and the old way even to fix the stone and to create the mosaic.

Do you have to be an artist to make a mosaic or can anyone do it?

Yes because as I told you, because you can find many mosaic makers who work for money, they can get a lot of money but at the end they are not artists because they don't feel what they did, But for me, I ask when I find a nice mosaic, I feel the idea which will be great , I don't ask about the money, about the salary, I don't ask too much because I feel  I will enjoy when I make it and at the end I will have some artist work you now, that is what I want.

Now we are here in Bethlehem so are many mosaics here in Bethlehem of the Nativity scene?.

Yes we have in the nativity church, which is the most important church and we have in the Shepherd's fields, we have in Saint Saba, we have also in Beit Jala church we have another mosaic near Beit Jala Mar Nicola, we discovered when they are working in the road and I restore it by myself alone when I was working with the department of antiquities. We have some mosaic in village in mountain but some of them we can't reach because it is under Israeli control, so you can't work even as department of antiquities.

Do some of your mosaics go all around the world ?.

Yes, the first mosaic it was in England, I shape it for one person, he visited my canter and he ordered one mosaic, also I send to Italy and I send also to USA, to France also I think 4 countries.

That must be exiting to know that your work is all around the world?.

Yes, Yes, I told you because I am looking to have an art, maybe if you are a factory or business work you don't care where your work can go but for me I care and I take care about the details in mosaic because I know my name will be there so for that I take care about art mosaic not business mosaic.

Can you find many ancient mosaics here in the holy land ?.

Yes we have a lot, In Jericho we have the biggest mosaic in the world, I restored it in 2002 with my team, with the department of antiquities, we work around 1 year and a half with that one, it was just a state of conservation not full restoration because that one needs a lot, a lot of work, Beside that I work in the  Al- Aqsa Mosque, the dome of the rock restoration, I restore also the Holy Sepulchre, I restore also in Bet Shemesh one mosaic which was discovered by a British group , British team under the supervision of DR Simon Gibson, when he discovered that mosaic he called me directly because they were digging there and when they find part of mosaic, they directly call me and I moved to Jerusalem and we worked to restore that. Because to discover it's something different ….When they are digging you know that one is more difficult and more important and more exciting because you don't know what you have so you discover by your hand, In that part you work as Archeologist and restorer, That was very exciting because we discovered two mosaic carpet which was new, Now also they discover a new discovery, Mosaic in Jerusalem which was a church since the 6^th century and I look at that which was an amazing mosaic and many drawing , many description, I work also in Hebron mosque, I work in Bethlehem in Many churches in Nativity, in Beit Jala, I work in Jericho in around 7 archeological places and also work in Jordan, I work in Syria and I also move to the USA to have a mosaic course, in a few days we will have another work with the United Nations which is a project which has the aim of giving chance to women who have disabled kids, to give them a chance to work and to learn something.

Is there mosaic tourism here in the holy land?.

Until now no, It's not like for example Jordan because it's new, we don't have many people to be there in that level as tourist mosaic, I can make but it wouldn't be very big product.

Is this making a difference in the community?.

For sure yes, in Bethlehem we are in the most important  tourist city but I think we need a good plan to use that in this field, because it is not easy, for example in Jordan the government take care of the mosaic, the mosaic institute there, By the way I work for them for years in Madaba Jordan, they have a lot of stone, Mosaic stone, they give a chance for many, many people to get money, to work to have their business beside their art, to work, it is good if we can have a lot of stores here especially for mosaic.

So it is something that really needs to develop more and more here in Bethlehem?.

Yes, If we develop in a good way it will give a chance for many people to work in that field.

Why do you do what you do?.

I like the mosaic, I love the mosaic and I know there is not many people, what is important that we have some people who work in Mosaic they are not artist, so it is your responsibility to show the art, the real art and not the fake art, because there are many mosaic, you can go now into a shop, you don't feel that it is a mosaic because it is not an artist , so I try to show the good one and by these 2 mosaic that I have been commissioned to make on Star street, we can show the people, it will be in an important place for the tourist, they will come for sure through this way, So they can look at mosaic, they can take pictures so that they can show the world that there is mosaic here and that there are people who work in mosaic.

What is your website for people who'd like to know more about your work.?

I have my facebook page which is Bethlehem Mosaic center, they can see on facebook, we have a group on our profile picture