Curated: Adi Shelach
Participating artists: Gil-Ly Alon Curiel, Gilad Efrat, Jonathan Gold, Ami Drach and Dov Ganchrow, Dan Zehavi, Talia Israeli, Asya Lukin, Ofra Lapid, Guy Nissenhaus, Orit Siman-Tov, Ran Slavin, Ruti Sela, David Polonsky, Tom Pnini, Paul Kearns and Motti Ruimy, Amir Rosenberg, Mish (Michael) Rapoport, Chen Sheinberg
Theater #3, 2014
Inkjet print, museum board, wood
9'' x 7'' x 5''
The city can be compared to a living organism, complex and full of life. We experience it intermittently, as though it were a multisensory sound and light show, unable to embrace its entirety.
This new interactive exhibition engages the city and the ways we might look at it. The exhibition examines the nature of the contemporary urbanism. It traces the experience of wandering and discovering the developed urban space, calling attention to the meaning inherent in various angles of observation. Every point of view carries a different meaning: Looking from afar and above, such as aerial or satellite images; at eye level, facing people directly; from ground level, as would a child or a beggar; viewing closely, a view which may be blocked by buildings; or taking a deep look the window from a safe place, or with our imagination, with eyes closed.
The city, by definition, is a form of centralized settlement which integrates a large diverse population. It is subject to centralized organizational structure and system of delegation of powers from the State. The idea of the city is based on the civic community and urban culture – urbanism. The city contains commercial areas, work and meeting spaces, alongside residential structures. It consists of myriad of rhythms and movements - people, transportation, commodities and goods, knowledge and information. There are 76 cities in Israel, with 92% of the population living in urban environments, the highest in the world.
Today the policy is to expand the populations of the cities, in order to maintain open spaces and green belts, the urban visual space is changing rapidly right in front of our eyes. It is therefore of great importance to observe the city, and to ask substantive questions about living in this environment, especially for the younger generations.
While designing the exhibition, I have tried to choose those works which present urban wandering as an emotional, thought-provoking and complex experience. The exhibited works deal with developed space and its conceptual and material foundations, the city as a humane and emotional space, as well as the real and imaginary city. I wanted to express the senses of belonging and longing, attraction and excitement, or foreignness that the city wakes in us; the complex relationship between interior and exterior spaces; ecological building materials and the presence of nature in the urban environment.
There are exploration stands around the exhibition. These are intended for play and creativity, and will help explore the exhibition and its meanings. We invite you to observe, create, build, play, read, and wander among the urban imaginations.