Short description: Sunset and a Tower looks into contemporary architecture in Jerusalem as a mirror of the city’s politics. In the video a small scale model of Holyland project, a luxurious residential complex in West Jerusalem, sets itself on fire while revealing the actual building behind it.
More about the work: Holyland project is a luxurious residential complex in West Jerusalem. Since the beginning of its construction in the 1990’s, the building was considered an architectural a hazard, encountering resistance from architects, environmental organizations and citizens. Despite the resistance, the project continued, and the building had been given numerous construction concessions. In 2010, a large-scaled scandal exploded in the Israeli media, involving the Israeli prime-minister and the building’s contractors and architects. It had been revealed that behind the decision to build Holyland was a system of bribes and tax evasions. Later that year, the prime minister resigned, and left the building in the middle of the city as a monument to corruption and entrepreneurial development.
The video examines Holyland’s architectural style and the way it corresponds to the politics behind it. A small effigy of Holyland sets itself on fire, fulfilling a fantasy of destruction of the building. As the small scale-model burns, the fantasy fails, and the actual building comes into view behind it.
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