Heritage sites scattered throughout Israel serve as evidence of the historical events, ideas, and artistic and material culture that developed within the state’s borders from 1700 onwards. The sites and structures represent diverse cultural and social values, and act as bearer’s of identity, defining uniqueness and belonging, enriching the environment and influencing the narrative that establishes and shapes the face of a place, a society and the individual.
The act of preservation is intended to ensure the survival of these sites and buildings, and protect them. While maintaining a balance between clinging to the past and adhering to the demands of the present, those tending to the sites must instill in the population the values reflected in each structure, cultivating its integration into contemporary culture and the future. The photographs in the exhibition were taken during a series of photography workshops initiated by the Council for the Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites held in various locations in Israel. The exhibition unfolds the stories of the buildings and monuments that have undergone a preservation process and into which a spirit of renewal has been casted. These continue to perpetuate the past in the present, while many others mourn their past, and fear the future – will they survive? Or will they disappear, and become immortalized in the mere pages of history.
The camera in the hands of the photographer is a tool for the observation of reality, allowing photographers to look beyond the lens and immortalize the beauty in the past and in the future.
The exhibition is in collaboration with the Council for the Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites in Israel and the Israeli Ministry of Culture and Sports. The photography workshops were led by photographer Baruch Jan.
Curator: Kineret Palti
Upper photo: Baruch Jan
