Ishay selected to photograph one work of the Petah Tikva Museum of Art – the Woman Soldier by sculptor Shimon Fogelman (1960), cataloged in the museum archive as item # 2953. Ishay's video of the sculpture deals in the image of the female soldier, the camera serving as the viewers' perspective peeking through the keyhole. The figure is revealed in all its femininity from the murky dark, with occasional flashes that appear as if they were reemerging memories of photographs taken from the IDF archive to document military parades and films of the role of female soldiers. Our gaze travels back and forth between the sculpture of the female figure and the soldier struggling to find her place in a rigid masculine system. The look moves from a private feminine form to its undeviating representation in the collective space. The artist, having herself served in the army, points to the dramatic change that has occurred in women's status in the military since the 1960s. Today, women fill a range of military roles as a matter of routine in all military branches, and are fighter pilots, combat soldiers, serve in elite intelligence units, and much more. Directed by Orit Ishay & Produced Cinematographer: Avner Shahaf Lighting: Nir Rachmin Music: Adam Ben Nun Editing: Gal Katzir IDF; Herzlia United Studios L.T.D& Defence Astablishment Archive Footage: Archive The works was produced with the support of Petach Tikva Museum of Art
The CDA's archives are operating with the support of the Ostrovsky Family Fund and Artis
