"Balata, on the outskirts of Nablus, is the largest refugee camp in the West Bank. Originally founded as a temporary base for those expelled from Jaffa in 1948, the tiny area is now home to around 30,000 people. The residents pay no taxes to the Palestinian Authority (who control the main West Bank cities including Nablus) and in fact many see the PA as an enemy equal almost to the Israeli soldiers. Also, the camp itself is a frequent battleground for rival factions seeking to seize control. As the Palestinian Authority contribute no services or infrastructure to the overcrowded maze of cramped alleyways, sewage, water and electricity are maintained by the residents themselves with some assistance from the UNRWA. The title refers to both the underlying tensions within the camp and the fight to maintain basic utilities, like electricity each day. The use of thread to mimic the crazy, haphazard wires and cables that are strung through the dirty alleys suggests the fragile, make-do-and-mend nature of the infrastructure."