A new collection of photographic works by Alyana Cazaletwere exhibited at the A.M Qattan Foundation, Ramallah in March 2005. The title of the show makes reference to famous passage from the Old Testament: Daniel 5:5-31 in which a mysterious hand appeared writing on the wall while Belshazzar was feasting. Daniel interpreted the words to signify the downfall of the kingdom. Belshazzar infact was slain that very same night. In English vernacular the saying the writing on wall carries this historical association, referring to something that is apparent and obvious, which to ignore is seen tobe to one's disadvantage. In titling this body of work therefore, Cazalet refers toboth the actual process of documenting the writing on the wall and thesense of forebodingthat warns of a coming upheaval which is particular resonant in the context of Gaza.

Cazalet's photographs capture the contemporary streets of Gaza, The Strip itself has become a space that is impenetrable to many, few Palestinians, from Jerusalem, Israel or the West Bank can enter Gaza and even holders of foreign passports often require special permission. As a consequence our image of Gaza is shaped by news, images and accounts in which the idiosyncrasies and particularities of place are left out in the transfer of information. Cazalet captures the everyday nuances ofthe spaces focusing on the writing on wallswhich fill the streets of Gaza. Aesthetically the writings are distinguished by their fiery, contrasting colours and monumental scale that impart a sense of foreboding. They differ from the writings of the first intifada, which were quickly written messages, addressed to the community that announced strikes and boycotts. They were a daily diary of political activities and opinions which were regularly obliterated by the IDF who would force Palestinians to remove them.

The word carries particular significance for the Arab peoples and in Islamic culture, for it is via the word that history, identity and religious belief are transmitted both in writing and oral traditions. The word is believed to transmit the absolute truth as found in Holy Books while at the same time the word is that of political rhetoric and discourse in which oratory skills play an important role in shaping the collective imagination and motivating political activism.It is in this cultural context of the power of the word that these writings on the wall in Gaza have been created by individuals unknown to us. Although not all the words are readable in Cazalet's photographs, those which are announce themselves with terms such as Freedom, Arafat, Jerusalem, Welcome, Blood, Hamas, Martyrs of Al Aqsa.These single statements on the grand scale dwarf the individual and interpellate them at the same time while they operate as providing a banner for which people to identify themselves as part of political collective.

Cazalet photographs were taken during the siege of recent years. She continues to work on the subject documenting words and parts of phrases. She is engaged in exploring the work of these street artists and the transformation of the space over time as the texts contour themselves around Gaza, creating a labyrinth of text and colour.