A Point of View

The search for the single story that defines Jerusalem seems like an impossible task. So many stories about the city lay claim to the title while trying desperately to delegitimise the others. None of them, however, can fully capture the complex and fascinating story of this city.

Jerusalem is Art, Jerusalem is Conflict, Jerusalem is a Hill, Jerusalem is a Wall, Jerusalem is Sanctity, Jerusalem is a Capital, Jerusalem is United, Jerusalem is Turbulent, Jerusalem is food, Jerusalem is Yearning.

The project contemplates these multiple narrative of Jerusalem, rejecting any hierarchy between them, while generating a concurrent sense of context and differentiation through the personal adaptation of the ViewMaster binoculars.  For these binoculars, which reach back to our collective childhoods, 18 Jerusalem-specific reels have been designed.  Each reel focuses on a different aspect of Jerusalem, ranging from religion and history, to food and nightlife, to the day-to-day reality of the city. Like Twitter, the fact that these stories must be told through a pre-determined number of pictures, ensures that the changing narratives are as refined and exact as possible.

The material for some of the reels was taken from countless archives of Jerusalem, some were compiled by renowned photographers such as Alex Levac, Ziv Koren, Yoram Amir, Menahem  Kahana and Hila Harel from their personal collections, and others from specially commissioned photo shoots.

The project asks you to take a personal and intimate look at the diverse narratives displayed before you. The binoculars and the reels are sold both separately and as sets, to allow you to put together your own personal Jerusalem— Day-to-Day Jerusalem; Holy Jerusalem; Festive Jerusalem; Protest Jerusalem, or as in the case of Alex Levac’s wheel—Jerusalem that is both, both and both.

Artistic direction: Itay Mautner

Production coordinator: Gili Dror

Special thanks to Jon Stam