THIS PLACE:
Israel Through Photography’s Lens
For project initiator, Frédéric Brenner,
This Place was an opportunity to recontextualize Israel as a place and a metaphor.
11 men and women to accept
his invitation to see a land more
complicated than headlines
suggest. At the same time, he
convinced funders to contribute
several millions of dollars. The
result is an unprecedented international, creative initiative that,
according Brenner, is similar to
the US Farm Security Administration of the 1930s, which
commissioned artists who used
photography to explore culture
and society.
Once the photographers
defined their individual projects, Brenner arranged their
residencies and provided them
with all the necessary resources
to complete their work—each
spent around six months in
Israel over a four-year period.
Brenner organized a two-week
informal think tank for the photographers on their arrival, with
trips and meetings with Israelis,
like philosopher, Moshe Halbertal; Bedouin expert, Clinton
Bailey; and feminist and peace
activist, Leah Shakdiel. He also
arranged for each visiting photographer to have a Hebrewspeaking assistant, selected
from the Bezalel Academy. For
all the photographers, Brenner
says, the program was “a profound transformative experience.” Their styles, formats,
and areas of interests varied
greatly, and Brenner suggests
that their art looks far beyond
political perspectives. Rather,
it’s about exploring the human
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