BEHIND THE WALLS


October 2011 - One morning, my friend Meir called to tell me about a very interesting house he was intending to rent in south Tel Aviv. A week later, I joined him to see this house, which he has already decided to rent.


I was primarily impressed with his choice of renting a house in such a particular neighborhood, essentially known for its population of illegal immigrants and mixed African population. My discovery of this special house was one which consisted of many layers. Half built, half destroyed, burnt at places, all of which indicate a vast and complicated past. The interior consisted of no windows, dark spaces, full of dust and garbage. Meir wished to transform this place into several apartments.


My initial idea was to make a typological piece, creating a timeline from the transformation of the house; showing the steps beginning from its original, ‘raw’ state until the end result. However, I quickly realised this sacred place was much more than just a house. My eyes kept discovering strange and unclear elements; and those are what I decided to photograph. I set a few rules for myself: leaving everything untouched, and working solely with the available light. Through these rules I intended to preserve as much authenticity as possible.


It took around 6 months to transform this house into four different apartments. Even though the construction is finished, it feels as though the secrets this house holds are still well preserved within the concrete walls, and cannot be covered up by a few layers of fresh paint.

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