Reflections on the winners trip to Israel by Van Wyk Oosthuizen
lecturer: Madelein Markram.
Some moments in one’s life can be captured by a photograph others just can’t, its more than an image; it’s a life changing experience. To visit Israel is one such an experience. This experience is not shaped by the well known tourist attractions like the Western Wall notorious for the prayers that is written on small pieces of paper mortared into the cracks or the ruins of Caesarea speaking of the past, but that which cannot be seen on the mere surface. It’s the vast contrasts within each layer of time, creating a rich palimpsest of experience; the sea, desert, architecture and the people of Israel.
Once you start to explore Israel you can extrude these layers into different timeframes and influences. On visiting the kibbutz in Caesarea we experienced this interconnectivity on many different levels, in particular the way in which it is run as a sustainable community. Here we could follow the whole production process of a CaesarStone slab from beginning to end, and even the design of a range for a specific market or color requirement.
The architecture of Israel posed even more deposits, building into the future over historic layers. This archaeological wonders can be seen in many instances; the Ceasarstone plant built over ruins, the Nazareth Basilica of the Annunciation towering over what was believed to be the home of Mary Magdaleen, mother of Jesus, and a futuristic church hovering over the ruins of Peter’s home, a follower of Jesus. Layers which were added more recently includes the over 4000 Bauhaus buildings dating from 1935, built by great masters such as Joseph Noifeld and Shlomo Berenstein, telling a story of ‘the White City’; a new order, pristine lines and basic geometries starting a new urban dialogue. This was followed by a visit to the Design Museum, Holon, built by Ron Arad, where even the building is created by ‘ribbons’ of corten steel constructed into a different stratum. Mechanical Couture was exhibited displaying an array of innovative ideas, even a Dyson vacuum cleaner transformed into wearable garments by Issey Miyake.
As the sun sets over Jerusalem leaving its walls shimmering in gold, one experience a gestalt of a diverse palimpsest slumbering into a peaceful sleep where everyone belong. To be part of this magic, even if only for a few days, makes you part of something superior, to some extent sacred…
