Is a body of work based on my travels to Korea, the West Bank, and Belfast. In each of these locations, barriers exist as single dimensional lines of defense. Through photography, video, and sculpture. Exploring the landscape that creates fear of the “other” that allows a government to control its people. Living near the ‘Mauer’ which separated east and west German brought this contemporary growing issue into light. Since 2010 the amount of these fences has grown dramatically all over the world to 24. Seeing the physical and psychological e ects in my every day life in Berlin even after over 20 years helped me see from a distance the issue in Israel where I grew up but was not able to see at the time. Time and distance to give a perspective as well as being able to compare this type of barrier with oth- ers like it in other political contexts.
The Korea series was created when I lived near the Northern Limit Line that separates North and South Korea. I see the irony of the region’s natural fecundity, untouched by industrialization, as well as the incongruities of the routines of daily life being played out against the backdrop of militarization. Two video installations dominate the gallery space: Dragon Teeth, a projected seascape that depicts the I-beams planted to impale ships; and a grouping of videos of verdant rice elds. A sculpture of coiled razor wire vibrates periodically to produce a piercing sound. Also on view are signs warning of mines and commercial bottles of the prized water from the DMZ.
The photographs of Belfast depict metal-grated fences towering over small brick homes on eerily emp- ty streets. Called “Peace Lines,” they were increased and enlarged after the peace agreement of 1998 to prevent the throwing of explosives between the contiguous Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods.
this project is both complete as well as part of a larger project I hope to complete when I can get fund- ing. I think that once I layout all the fences in the world side by side, conclusions will be inescapable. However as this is becoming a rather important issue there was no time to spare in putting this togeth- er, which was done deliberately before the US elections.
An audio guide, in which the I describe my personal experiences, and a display of published maps with locations of barriers expand the context of the project.
For this project I was awarded a Baengnyeongdo peace fellowship and an artist in residency at Museum of modern and contemporary art Seoul as well as a Bard College Human rights grant.