A random stroll through almost every neighborhood in towns across Israel reveals a common characteristic: shared buildings that have acquired a new morphological stratum of air-conditioners, electrical cables, security bars, laundry lines, awnings, and more. In time these have become an integral part of the shared façades of the buildings that surround us, an inseparable part of the aesthetic that we identify as a typical and familiar Israeli cityscape, despite the fact that such changes to the façades are not permissible by law.
From time to time when I take Route 4 out of the cluster of towns outside Haifa known as “the Krayot,” I am struck by the sudden appearance, with no forewarning, of a low stone wall with a backdrop of palm trees. In the middle of an endless row of look-alike buildings, the wall and its metal inscription protrude, declaring the entrance to “Kiryat Motzkin.” An inscription below, in smaller letters, reads “Mozart Junction”; a silhouette of the famous composer’s head appears off to the right; and a bar of musical notes crowns the wall like a tiara. My curiosity was aroused: What is the connection between this anonymous town and Salzburg?
This work represents the ongoing documentation of a modest phenomenon that can be seen in many different places throughout Israel, and which has drawn my attention for years. It is part of a wider study that deals with public space, and examines the impact of individual activity on the inclusive identity of place. The first photographs serve as an introduction to the presentation of the subject.