Climate + -
2011
Harla Primary School, Dire-Dawa, Ethiopia
Sculptural Installation
This project was developed during a three-month residency at the Zoma Contemporary Art Center (ZCAC) in 2011, as part of SurVivArt, a program initiated and funded by the Heinrich Böll Foundation. The work was carried out in Harla, a small village near Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, and explored the relationship between ecology, community, and cultural change.
The project began with open discussions about how people define and pursue a “good life.” Together with a local resource group - including community members and students from Harla Elementary School, we reflected on how daily habits and materials shape both environmental and social realities. One central topic was the widespread use of plastic jerry cans, which have largely replaced traditional clay pots in rural Ethiopian life.
Through conversations, Berhane examined how this shift affects the environment, local traditions, and gender roles. The jerry cans are durable and practical, but contribute to plastic waste and pollution. They also alter the traditional division of labor: men increasingly use jerry cans, while women continue to maintain a connection to clay pots, which hold cultural and emotional value. The group discussed how such changes bring both benefits and challenges in the search for a better life.
Following these discussions, Kebreab and the community collaboratively built a five-meter-high sculptural installation within the grounds of Harla Elementary School. The structure was made from discarded jerry cans and clay pots tied together with ropes made of recycled materials on a wooden frame. Most of the used jerry cans were collected by students, while parents, local masons, and carpenters assisted in the construction process.
At the base of the sculpture, herbs and medicinal plants were planted in the jerry cans. A simple irrigation system using clay pots with small holes allowed water to drip slowly onto the plants. The completed work was gifted to the school, where it remains in use. The school’s environmental club continues to care for the plants, integrating the sculpture into their educational activities.
During the project’s opening ceremony, school supplies- including bags, dictionaries, notebooks, pens, and other materials- were given to the participating students as a gesture of appreciation. In a broader context, the work reflects a “critical dialogue of containers,” exploring how traditional and modern vessels—clay pots and jerry cans- carry not only water but also ideas, values, and changing ways of life. By transforming these everyday objects into a living sculpture that sustains edible plants, the project invites reflection on sustainability, adaptation, and cultural continuity within contemporary Ethiopian society.
An exhibition of the project was later presented at Galerie Meinblau in Berlin on February 5, 2012.
