PALESTINE/NORWAY: Can photography change the narratives about Palestinian Arab women? How does photography influence our understanding of both the role of women and women's opportunities to participate in sport in the Middle East?

The project RAMALLAH TRONDHEIM SERIES was an international collaboration between the Norwegian artist Brynhild Bye-Tiller and the non-profit organization Sareyyet Ramallah in occupied West Bank, Palestine and Norwegian partners. Through several photographic series little known stories from deep within the Palestinian contemporary Arab culture were told. Other stories than we ordinarily see through media coverage. Stories about the Women's Football Team from Sareyyet Ramallah. About the player's everyday-life, their participating in football activities and their travel to Norway the summer of 2014. The artistic work was focused on stereotypes, humanizing Arabs and not the extreme polarized version that presents every Arab as a terrorist.

The project contained several activities: Five visits in Ramallah for the artist, three lectures held by the artist, conversations, meetings, home visits to the football players, one artist's book, a photo workshop in Ramallah, editing photos, organizing of a ten-day stay and a travel to Norway for the Palestinian team, collaboration with the Norwegian team Trondheims Ørn, project management, use of social media, curating and installing three exhibitions featuring several photographic series. Hence the title RAMALLAH – TRONDHEIM SERIES.

The photo workshop carried out in Ramallah by the artist was open for photographers, students and local artists. Four participants from the workshop participated in the final exhibition held in Ramallah. This provided a different perspectives on the project key content. "Gender, identity and misconceptions". A workshop also provides knowledge and another kind of contact between the Norwegian artist and the local artists, rather than just producing an exhibition.

As part of Brynhild Bye-Tillers artistic work the project deliberately blurred the lines between participation and documentary photography. The social and practical situations that emerged during the project was the very space where documentary photography and socially engaged art encountered each other. It was in this tension, between a broad documentary activity and participatory methodologies RAMALLAH TRONDHEIM SERIES could find something new.

The material from the project RAMALLAH TRONDHEIM SERIES (2012-2017) later became the basis for two exhibitions and one artist's book; the first exhibition in Trondheim in 2017 and the last one also in Trondheim in 2019. The exhibitions and the artist's book both investigated questions related to participatory methodologies, methods of collecting and processing documentary material and movement in space and surface in storytelling photographic expressions.

EXHIBITION RAMALLAH, PALESTINE		EXHIBITION TRONDHEIM, NORWAY
Exhibition period April 20 th - 30 th 2015		Exhibition period September 17 th - 24 th 2017
Venue: Al- Tireh street, Sareyyet Ramallah, downtown Ramallah, occupied West Bank, Palestine.		Venue: Our Lady's Church and North-East quadrant of the Market Square in Trondheim, Norway.
Art work: 5 photographic series and 1 facebook-assembly. Details: 1 series with portraits in color outdoor around 7 large pine trees with 28 large format photographs. 1 series with 50 small format portraits in color indoor. 2 series with 30 medium sized format documentary photographs in color indoor. 1 series with 60 small format documentary photographs also in color indoor. 1 assembly of 60 facebook screen shots on the wall from the players private facebook pages. In addition to my own photographic work 4 local and international photographers was invited to participate. Local participants: Shadi Baker. Title: Athletic women: "Passion and glory". Photo. Qais Assali. Title: "Female wanted". Photo. Paul Lorgerie and Franziska Grillmeier. Title: "Nabi Saleh, the story of women fighting for liberty". Photo & text. Documents: Press release exhibition Palestine (ENG) April 1st 2015 Invitation opening of exhibition 2015 invitation opening of RCDF, Sareyyet 2015 Draft Programme RCDF 2015 2015 Pictures of the exhibition in Ramallah 2015 Pictures of setting up the exhibition in Ramallah 2015 Pictures of the opening of the exhibition 2015 Invitation artist talk/lecture 2015 Soundtrack from the exhibition opening in 2015 & the Captains speech on behalf of the players .aiff Talking to the players for the first time .mp3   PHOTO WORKSHOP IN PALESTINE 2015 Invitation photo workshop 2015 Invitation Workshop Photography - ARA 2015 Invitation Workshop Photography - ENG 2015 Pictures from the photo workshop in Ramallah 2015   More pictures on Facebook		Art work: 2 photographic series. Truth On The Ground and Away Game. Details: 1 photographic series THE THRUTH ON THE GROUND with 37 photographs printed on metal and mounted on 32 stone slabs placed in a semicircle around a sun dial in the north-east quadrant of the market square. 1 photographic installation AWAY GAME with 9 vertical roll-ups (2 metre tall) with portraits in color placed in a tight tactical battle formation inside the tower hall of Our Lady's Church. Documents: Poster The Truth On the Ground (ENG) 2017 Poster The Truth On the Ground (NO) 2017 Poster Away Game inside the church Trondheim 2017 Poster Away Game inside the church Trondheim 2017 Invitation exhibition Norway 2017 Poster exhibition Norway 2017 Poster concert for Palestine 2017 Pictures from the exhibition in Trondheim 2017 Opening speech 2017 (NO)   A TEN-DAY STAY IN TRONDHEIM FOR THE PALESTINIAN FOOTBALL TEAM SUMMER 2014 Press release (NO) May 29 th 2014 Diploma Best player Friendship match 2014 Diploma Participating in Friendship match 2014 Program in Trondheim, Norway June 2014 Invitation for friendship match PDF 2014   Documents: Project plan Last updated 01.05.2017 Letter of invitation Information meeting for the Norwegian host families, Trondheim, Norway. Letter of invitation Sareyyet Ramallah, Scandia cup Letter of invitation RCDF The project was a cooperative effort between the Norwegian visual artist Brynhild Bye-Tiller, a Palestinian Women's Football Team from Sareyyet Ramallah, the main partner Sareyyet Ramallah, a Norwegian Women's Football Team from Trondheims-Ørn, Norwegian host families, the Municipality of Trondheim, the Norway Football Association, the Sports Club Freidig, Vanvikan Scouts and other local partners.