Village documents a unique encounter between two creative communities: a village of forcibly displaced people on the one hand, and a group of artists, designers and architects on the other. The context is the village of Ein Hawd, an (until recently) ‘unrecognised’ Palestinian village in Israel. It lies within viewing distance of the inhabitants’ former village, now an Israeli artist community: Ein Hod, founded by the Dada artist, Marcel Janco.
In the summer of 2008, a group of over 20 artists and architects arrived in Ein Hawd. They included Petra Blaisse, Matthijs Bouw, Yona Friedman, Dan Graham, Joseph Grima, Ali Kazma, MAP Office, Multiplicity, Tomás Saraceno and Museo Aerosolar, Debra Solomon, Berend Strik and Sharif Waked. They submerged themselves in the village’s daily life, boarding with Ein Hawd families for several weeks. During this time, the artists, architects and villagers produced wonderful projects and shared intimate conversations — and disagreements.
They reflected on their work, on the local context, and on life. The extreme conditions blurred boundaries: architects practiced activism, villagers made art works, artists made architecture and the other way around.
This account of that process, by architect Malkit Shoshan and art curator Maurizio Bortolotti, is divided into four parts. One Land Two Systems describes the role of art and architecture in the emergence of Israel and the disappearance of Palestine. It uses similar architectural tools to create an alternative vision, a masterplan for the future of the village and its first community centre. Platform Paradise describes a group show that mirrors the use of art to create a new spatial identity, while bringing together the local small community with a variety of international and global prospectives. Incidents presents a series of stories, conversations, formal talks, complaints, gossip, a wedding, and other moments of daily life. The last part is a Lexicon that provides additional context to the stories in the book.
This book portrays the extraordinary relationship between culture and history, art and architecture, and suggests how together they may lead to change.
Project
Concept and Project Lead: Malkit Shoshan / FAST
Ein Hawd Masterplan and landscape plan designed by Chambe Sebastien, Crestin Raphael, Garaix Leon, Guilloux Tristan, Lestra Jean-Baptiste, Martin Caroline, Dalia and Hezi Nahman Farchi, Sabine Horlitz, Oliver Clemens, Ein Hawd villagers, Muhammad Abu el-Hayja with FAST, Camila Pinzon Cortes, Daniela Bellelli, Elain Ho, Martina Lucchese, Uri Ben Ari.
The Golden Heart Pavilion designed by Malkit Shoshan and produced by Inflate.
One Land Exhibition designed by FAST in collaboration with Sharif Waked.
Platform Paradise commissioned by FAST curated in collaboration with Maurizio Bortolotti
Art projects by Ali Kazma, Berend Strik, Dan Graham, Debra Solomon, Maddalena Bergani, MAP Office, Museo Aerosolar, Nisreen Abu el-Hayja, One Architecture, Multiplicity, Salvatore Porcaro, Tomas Saraceno, and Yona Friedman.
Art project assistance by Noga Inbar.
Book
Malkit Shoshan and Maurizio Bortolotti | ISBN: 9788862082549 | June 2014 | Paperback | 256 pages | Design: Sandra Kassenaar | Publisher: Damiani Editore
One Land Two Systems
Text, maps, images and diagrams by Malkit Shoshan.
Platform Paradise by Maurizio Bortolotti with Alia Swastika
Incident and lexicon collected and edited by Malkit Shoshan.
Foreword by Joseph Grima.
Book design by Sandra Kassenaar with assistance of Oceane Ture.
Language editing by Jane Szita.
Photographs by Alfons Himmelreich, Presler Private Museum, Tel Aviv; Malkit Shoshan, Noga Inbar, Selma Maaroufi, MAP Office, Museo Aerosolar, Chambe Sebastien, Crestin Raphael, Garaix Leon, Guilloux Tristan, Lestra Jean-Baptiste, Martin Caroline, KKL Photography Archive; images from The Dybbuk (Der Dibuk) by Michal Waszynski, 1932; al-Qazwini, 1283/682; Janco Archives, Tel Aviv; Talmor Yair; Wikipedia; Wikipaintings; ITIZ; Ein Hod documentary; The Spielberg Jewish Film Archive; YouTube; Marcel Janco: 50% Dadaist.
Special thanks for the support to Muhammad Abu el-Hayja and his family, and the inhabitants of Ein Hawd.
AAA Architects, Aaron Betsky, Alwine van Heemstra, Alexander (Sandy) Kedar, Ali Kazma, Anil Ramdas, Arne Hendriks, Berend Strik, Bert de Muynck, Bettina Huber, Dalia Nahman Farchi, Dan Graham, Dan Handel, Debra Solomon, Edo Amin, Ein Hawd villagers, Eriko Watanabe, Eyal Weizman, Floor van Spaendonck, Gianluigi Ricuperati, Haneen Kandelaft, Hezi Nachman-Farchi, Jane Szita, Jans Possel, Jeff Halper, Joseph Grima, Lucas Verweij, Maddalena Bergani, MAP Office, Marga Verheije, Michiel Schwarz, Martin Siepermann, Matthijs Bouw, Muhammad Abu Duef, Museo Aerosolar, Naama Meishar, Nisreen Abu el-Hayja, Noga Inbar, Noa Haim, Ola Jabali, Oliver Clemens, One Architecture, Oren Yiftachel, Petra Blaisse, Rachel Leah Jones, Raneen Garis, Rassem Khamaissi, Rebecca Gomperts, Sabine Horlitz, Salman Natour, Salvatore Porcaro, Sandy Hilal, Selma Maaroufi, Sharif Waked, Stefano Boeri, The Association of Forty, Tomas Saraceno, Willem Velthoven, Yael Davids, Yona Friedman, Zvi Efrat, Zvi Elhayani, and Tamar Shafrir have been important in making this project and this book.
The book was made possible thanks to the generous support of The Netherlands Creative Industries Fund.
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