“At the Foot of the Volcano”*

Inkjet print, 2025

Inspired by the New Topographics movement, I set out to photograph the Israeli built environment—planned, structured, and seemingly well-organized, yet at the same time exposed as temporary, deteriorating, and chaotic. I focus on the gap between architectural planning strategies and the everyday tactics of those who use and inhabit these spaces. This tension is explored across residential neighborhoods, city streets, and military bases throughout the country. The photographs reveal the disconnect between dreams of architectural order and the persistent reality of emergency; between a longing for community and the individual fantasies shaped by Israeli life. This is a documentary journey that examines the character of Israeli collectivity as it appears in physical space, with all its contradictions and internal conflicts. It reflects on the distance between the Zionist ideal and the everyday Israeli experience—a perspective that invites contemplation of what it means to live within this space. Ultimately, the images trace social, historical, and economic processes as they are etched into Israel’s landscapes and architecture.

*Dan Almagor, At the Foot of the Volcano, from Shironet