Palestinian Joy for Gameboy

For 237 Collective's opening show "More Pressure" I created a Gameboy ROM slideshow of 20 photos commemorating recent moments of Palestinian joy and happiness. Joy and happiness that has existed despite the Palestinian people facing over 66 years of expulsion and abuse from Zionist military forces and their allies. In the words of Palestinian author Ibrahim Nasrallah, “The job of the writer, sometimes, is to remind people that they have feet still capable of dancing.”

My initially planned piece was to be a tribute to Aaron Bushnell the US Air Force serviceman who self immolated in February of 2024. After much self reflection I chose the subject of joy over all of their extreme protest, as well as the readily available horrors, traumas, and deaths inflicted recently and since 1948 through Zionism and the State of Israel. In no way am I attempting to negate these afflictions and transgressions against Palestinian life and welfare in my focus on Palestinian joy. Joy is resistance, as is existing against forces who wish your non-existence an act of resistance. While spite can be powerful and motivational, it's not as fruitful and can be detrimental to oneself over time. One must continue to exist to resist.

Aaron Bushnell's final Facebook post read "Many of us like to ask ourselves, 'What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?' The answer is, you're doing it. Right now." A tribute to Bushnell exists in the cartridge art with their final line on the left hand side of the label. After asking myself what I would do, I found that right now I'm trying my best, making silly (and sometimes hopefully powerful) art, feeling all my feelings including joy & despair, changing what I can change, and I'm making cartridges for the Gameboy.

A single physical cartridge was created with the intent for some proceeds of its sale to go to Palestine Children's Relief Fund - please consider donating at PCRF.net

note: no sound

controls for web version:
z- a (next)
x- b (back)
start - enter (home screen)