Another productive week that included a change of scenery: a trip to Jerusalem to visit the new National Library of Israel (NLI), now under construction. Friend and former colleague Eran Pollak is now leading the project management team for the signature construction project, and he allowed Isabelle and me to tour the site.
I have recently submitted for publication an article that describes the architectural competition that led (contentiously) to the final design, and so this visit was of particular professional interest -- and, a fun outing, despite the harsh rains and hail that came down on us while there. My article describes how the NLI has sought to expand its mission to promote not only scholarship but also cultural “discourse” among Israel’s diverse constituencies. The architectural design of NLI’s new edifice was intended, therefore, to do more than house the functional requirements of a modern library. It was commissioned to express through its design the significance of the transformed institution for the Israeli public. Perhaps not so surprisingly, a two-stage competition held in 2012 ended in controversy after the architect endorsed by the jurors was dismissed. Yet a review of designs submitted by four Israeli architects in that first competition shows how public spaces, affiliated with public institutions, are expected to foster public discourse in Israel. Whether that discourse is cultural or political, contentious or contradictory, these alternative designs for the NLI illustrate common themes based upon specific environmental tropes, familiar across a broad spectrum of Israeli society. My paper reviews the architectural history of the NLI (and its immediate institutional forebears) and places it within the context of what historian Moshe Rosman has called the shift from "Knowledge Culture" and "Discourse Culture."
To get Jerusalem, Isabelle and I took the infamous new train -- infamous, due to all the technical glitches and "missed deadlines" that still plague the project. Even so, it's (relatively) a tour-de-force for Israel, traveling through tunnels at a considerable depth below the highlands surrounding Jerusalem.
The trip took 25 minutes, which will be amazing... if they can ever extend it the final 5 miles to Tel Aviv. As it is, having to swap trains at the airport is not the end of the world, but still one can only dream of the seamless connection from sea to government seat.
The train's terminus, Itzhak Navon Station, is a dramatic piece of architecture that was done cheaply. Unfortunately, until the facility's managers install better signage, it's a bit confusing to navigate. Nevertheless, the easy connection between train and bus service was especially welcome.
While in Jerusalem, we had the chance to visit the Israel Museum, which always reminds us about how incredible its curation is. We spent the most time in a temporary exhibition titled Victory over the Sun: Russian Avant-Garde and Beyond (curated by Tanya Sirakovich). As the exhibit blurb puts it:
The heart of the exhibition presents a group of underground nonconformist artists active in the 1960s to 1980s. Their works – stylistically diverse through united in their critique of Socialist Realism – reengaged with the historical avant-garde that had been erased from collective memory. Embracing its radical spirit, these artists voiced their dissent from the cultural and political domination exerted by Soviet ideology.
This piece, by Vladimir Yankilevsky, was among the especially affecting works, although the exhibits huge scope was what made the biggest impression. The range from early Constructivism (including its lesser-known participants) to post-Soviet Sots Art demonstrated the consistent conceptual depth of Russian artists, past and present.
We also had a blast at Julian Rosefeldt's Manifestos, a video installation starring Cate Blanchett. Even the few minutes we had to spare in the installation made a big impression.
But this week wasn't all just fun. Got some work done, too.
Earlier in the week, back at the Tel Aviv University library, I worked on a 2nd lecture for the unit on "Water Geography" in Israel and its neighbors. The theme of the talk was based on a paper by Eran Feitelson and Gad Rosenthal titled "Desalination, space and power: The ramifications of Israel’s changing water geography." In this article, the authors ask how water manufacture have and will change local "water geography" and the relative power status of upstream and downstream riparians. It's a fascinating proposition, and reflects what originally got me interested in the topic: the impact of technological change on water management. I have invited myself back up to Jerusalem to meet with Feitelson at the end of this month, so I hope to report back with additional information about the topic.
I have started also a new project, documenting a new curriculum to which my former colleagues Efrat Beredjik and Hillel Schocken have contributed. After having sat in on a class session at Tichonet-Alterman High School in North Tel Aviv, I interviewed the two teachers Amnon Franco and Shlomit Dekel about their "track" (like a disciplinary major at the high-school level) that put urbanism and geography as the center of student study. The potential for such a course is terrific, even if my first encounter with the students and their material reinforced my long-held observation that there is a lot for students to to learn in high school besides the topic at hand. The teachers themselves are just the kind of teachers you'd want for your own kids: dedicated, passionate, and topical experts in their own right. I'm just getting started with learning about the curriculum, but I hope to write about it for an American audience.
One final note: At the start of the week, Isabelle and I joined Matthew W. to see the movie "Nobel Savage," which portrays a family challenged by alcoholism, drug abuse, and (generally) poor impulse control. Not a feel-good film by any means, it was nevertheless pretty powerful. (Great, authentic-feeling performances, at least.) I couldn't help recognizing similarities to some of our Hampden neighbors.
If only there were a good Hebrew idiom for "What're YOU Looking At, Asshole?!"...
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