Sderot, September 14, 2009
From Galilee to the Negev came about when French photographer Frédéric Brenner had the idea to commission 12 photographers from different countries and diverse backgrounds to travel to Israel and the West Bank for a project called This Place. He believes that only through the eyes of artists can we begin to understand the complexities of Israel—its history, geography, inhabitants, and daily life—and the resonance it has for people around the world. While there, each photographer was given free rein to pursue their own artistic interests. One of the advantages of working in a large project, where a number of photographers were involved, is I didn’t feel I needed to do something comprehensive.
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Some of the photographers chose a specific focus, but I was more interested in the day-to-day world that I would encounter as a person walking around. Most of what I read about Israel in the press has to do with the conflict, but life there is about more than the conflict. It is of course forever present, but people also have lives beyond this. The images we captured combine to create not a single, monolithic vision, but rather a diverse and fragmented portrait, alive with all the rifts and paradoxes of this important and highly contested place.
I made some six trips to Israel over a two-year period and stayed there for a period of four or five months, during which I was working every day. I was based in Jerusalem, but Israel is so small that I could go anywhere in the country and be back for dinner. I really got the chance to photograph all over: people on their daily commute, shop signs, food, portraits, architecture and landscapes in the Judaean Desert, and the Galilee. Half the work I did with my 8 by 10 inch view camera and half I did with a new, very high-end digital camera that I fell in love with. My photographs are presented geographically, each chapter heading mirroring Israeli road signs, written in English, Hebrew, and Arabic.
I produced some of the best work I’ve done in years, and I think that’s true of a number of the other photographers. I think This Place will be viewed as one of the most successful commissioned projects ever done. With its multitude of images and perspectives, it offers a fresh starting point for conversations about Israel and the West Bank, conversations that disrupt the ingrained shouting match and encourage a broader discussion of history, religion, art, environment, and belonging.
South of Zefat, January 14, 2010
Jerusalem, September 25, 2009
Beit Jala, January 11, 2010
Dead Sea from the Judean Deser, September 20, 2009
Large crater, Negev Desert, September 29, 2009
will be published by Phaidon on May 12. For more information on the project, visit this-place.org and to pre-order the book, click here.