Tent 45

Tent 45

2024 

This installation-performance work was created in response to the Israeli Air Force bombing on the night of May 26, 2024, in the Rafah refugee camp, which had been designated as a "safe zone" by the military.

According to press reports, the bombing resulted in the deaths of at least 45 children, women, and men, with approximately 200 more injured. Tents were set ablaze, described as "collateral damage" by the Israeli military. The work was installed at the corner of Kaplan and Begin Streets in Tel Aviv, in front of the central stage of the protests against the judicial overhaul.

The performance lasted for one hour and 34 minutes. I documented it through video and still photography, creating a sample video that captures the events within the protest space and parts of the speeches. The documentation shows a crowd surrounding the installation and observing it, set against the backdrop of protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Occasionally, people cross the installation area, stepping on or moving the elements, some apologizing, some restoring the elements, and some continuing on their way.

In response, other protesters arrange and return the elements to their places. The protest space gradually fills with more protesters, increasing the crowd density as people navigate through the crowd and the installation area. After about an hour, one of the protesters begins to pile the elements into a single heap resembling a pile of trash, and the installation space returns to being used by the protesters as usual.

Against the backdrop of the pile of tents, the main protest speeches begin: first, an announcement of civil defense instructions in case of a missile alert, followed by the singing of the national anthem, and then the first speech addressing the conscription law. At the end of the video work, there is a feeling of resounding dissonance between the remnants of the installation representing the victims in Gaza and the speech addressing the conscription law: a law that discriminates between those who are conscripted for mandatory service and reserve duty and those who are exempt. This is a burning issue that has risen to prominence due to the prolonged war, the hundreds of soldiers killed, and the government’s decisions to pass laws deepening inequality within Israeli Jewish society. The dissonance highlights the disparity in the value placed on Israeli lives compared to Palestinian lives in Gaza.

Dimensions: Tent 43 x 12.5 x 7 cm Installation area 350 x 450 cm approximately.

Materials: Mirror cardboard, wood poles, acrylic paint, white glue.

Photography | Galit Barak