Gatekeepers

"Strands of thought" run through my work/play: the Garden, the political situation, war and chaos and the abstract, among others. Lately, a gate series has developed that falls into several categories. The first gate I commemorated in my textile sketchbook was to celebrate my saving it from destruction by rust.
Wrought iron gates are common in the region, with interesting decorative details.





The front gate, which I can see from my kitchen door, has been a subject recently for my sketch book.

Some days time evaporates, so I used a prepared paper with a green wash providing a background for a quick sketch.

Then over at Sketchbook School, we started looking at skies. One day I could actually see clouds above the gate. Isn't that pretty? All very bucolic...but something was boiling below the surface.

I decided to do a page for my textile sketchbook to finish off this series.

I first glued fabric onto a page of drawing paper, then I sketched the gate and trees.    

As I zoomed away on my sewing machine, I thought about the meaning of gates: a delineation of property, marking of borders, stopping people from entering (especially thieves) and allowing only friends through. Suddenly I understood what this was all about. The problem:

Thirty years ago, the land was wide open and looked like this:

Mornag was a peaceful place. Nobody needed gates or walls. Today, this agricultural zone is being over run (the small trees mark my property line): 

Look at that beautiful blue sky and fresh green...and that eyesore. The owners said they were going to build a house and have a garden/orchard, but instead they erected two buildings for industrial refrigeration (about 18 to 20 feet tall) within a stone's throw of my house. EXCUSE ME, THIS IS AGRICULTURAL LAND!

This is what the "Revolution" brought us: unauthorized construction allowed by local authorities that will destroy the region. We have alerted the authorities who have put out an order for demolition. However, when I went to talk with the governor of Ben Arous (recorded in my sketchbook)

he pointed out that "Now, there is no executive." We're in free fall. So the neighbors keep working to finish off the construction, which means the giant motors required for the refrigeration will soon be running night and day. Worse yet, a problem with rotten fruit, foul odors, and increased quantities of insects that attack citrus fruit will destroy our peace and put our orchards at high risk. We are now embroiled in a legal battle to keep this region from sinking into an industrial zone and to protect the farms.

I realize that this is an international problem, that humans are destroying the Garden, our Planet. 
And yet, we will continue to fight for what is right. 
We must stand at the gates and stop them. 

We have become gatekeepers. 
We will do our best to protect the region until we can no longer. 
I will do my best to keep this filth out.