olives & sheep

olives & sheep is a humanitarian tech project that puts citizen journalism and archival materials directly on the map of Historic Palestine. Our geographic data comes from local residents and activists with boots on the ground, as well as from international researchers with deep awareness and respect for the multiple perspectives, narratives, and realities in the Holy Land from ancient history through today.

olives & sheep is a living map that fosters connections between people and nature, prioritizing indigenous ways of life and traditional practices in Palestine. We aim to preserve and promote joyous land-based knowledge so that all can continue to thrive here symbiotically as we have for millennia. Our mission is to highlight and amplify images and stories erased from mainstream maps, linking media data points to specific geographic locations to create a more inclusive alternative cartography of Palestine in real time.

olives & sheep are symbols and seeds nurturing viable futures in Historic Palestine, cultivating dignity and freedom for every living being from every river to every sea.

Who we are: Olives & Sheep was conceived and is creative directed by a researcher, curator and artist based in New York, and is technically being developed by an experienced map builder based in the UK. We are intentionally international, multi-disciplinary and we welcome participants of all religions, ethnicities and backgrounds. In July 2022, while volunteering with shepherding communities in the West Bank, the founder personally experienced the gap between the reality on the ground and what’s shown on big tech maps. The theory that maps create— or erase reality, is real and became palpably real to her that day, in the palm of her hand. So far, the content for Olives & Sheep has been primarily selected by this curator for the current prototype in progress, but the intent is to expand our team of Palestinian contributors throughout the West Bank, Jerusalem, and eventually 1948 Israel/Palestine and Gaza. Olives & Sheep is growing a map revealing Palestinian realities via archival materials, various data sources and most vitally, Palestinian input to create a fuller picture of Palestine, from a Palestinian perspective, for local and international audiences to dive deeper into better understanding and truer solidarity with Palestine. JOIN US>>>