Nation Estate - Jerusalem Floor, photo series.
Fotograf Larissa Sansour

Nation Estateis a sci-fi photo series conceived in the wake of the Palestinian bid for nationhood at the UN. Three preliminary sketches were developed especially for the Lacoste Elysée Prize and sparked quite an internationalt controversy in December 2011 when Swiss Musée de l’Elysée decided to cancel the prize as a result of the corporate sponsor Lacoste’s decision to revoke Sansour’s nomination and censor the Nation Estate project, finding it ‘too pro-Palestinian’ for the brand to support.

Set within a grim piece of hi-tech architecture, Nation Estate envisions ‘la joie de vivre’ of a Palestinian state rising from the ashes of the peace process. In this dystopic vision, Palestinians have their state in the form of a single skyscraper – the Nation Estate. Surrounded by a concrete wall, this colossal high-rise houses the entire Palestinian population – finally living the high life. Each city has its own floor: Jerusalem, third floor; Ramallah, fourth floor. Intercity trips previously marred by checkpoints are now made by elevator.

Aiming for a sense of belonging, the lobby of each floor reenacts iconic squares and landmarks – elevator doors on the Jerusalem floor opening onto a full-scale Dome of the Rock. Built just outside the actual city of Jerusalem, the building has views of the original golden dome from the top floors.

The final Nation Estate project will consists of 8-10 large-format photos and a five minute sci-fi short film, currently in preproduction.