The idea of holding a Biennale for Landscape Architecture emerged from a meeting with Shlomo Lachiani, the mayor of Bat-Yam, in 2006. Lachiani wanted to heighten his city’s profile by emphasizing contemporary Israeli art and creating a museum for this purpose. I shared my feeling that there was no need for yet another such museum; that there were plenty of possibilities for artists to exhibit all over the country, and that many galleries and museums find it hard to survive and develop. In addition, museums of this kind attract limited public interest and serve a very small part of the population as a whole. I advised him to find a new "niche", an area not yet sufficiently represented; something that would add vitality to Israeli culture.
There were two reasons for my suggestion. The first was my feeling of late about the art world as it exists today in Israel and probably in the Western world as a whole - a world probably more driven by capitalistic motivations than ideologies of any kind. It resembles a bubble comprised of groups of people, linked by strong connections: museum curators, collectors, gallery owners, auction houses, public relations agents and artists. These "players" are more motivated by their own energies and less connected to society and the "real world" outside. They are on the lookout for new theoreticians and for "art prizes" to enrich their collections and reputations. To a certain extent, critics and theoreticians define the borders of the bubble and limits of this playground, also called "artistic dialogue". At times, when the reins are slightly loosened, other disciplines are allowed into their realm; disciplines that had been frowned upon before, such as photography or design (the aura of the chair is “in” these days). Despite post-modernism that tried to set us free from the chains of this dialogue, there is no significant difference between post-modernism and the preceding period of modernism, which tried to establish artistic truths through various ideologies. The bubble remains a bubble, isolated from most of life’s aspects, from society, from general communal life, and is concentrated in specific limited geographical areas. In the case of Israel, the bubble is separated from most of society. These "bubble people" in most cases are more interested in what’s happening in the great capitals of the world: New York, London, Berlin and now also Beijing, rather than in Yeruham, Ofakim or Nazareth.
This elitist orientation can also be found to a great degree in the world of architecture that strives for recognition from the international world, rather than looking towards the local sphere.
My second reason for suggesting the field of Landscape Architecture to the mayor of Bat-Yam was that it is a less well known and elitist endeavor, with great creative potential that can also reach a much wider public.
Landscape Architecture was neither recognized nor esteemed in the last century; the age of modernism, Cubism, Dadaism, Surrealism and even Socialism or Communism, etc. etc. This period has hardly left a mark on parks and gardens. Even the Bauhaus movement, which sought a stronger involvement of the arts in society at large and experimented with new materials and different ways of living, did not include landscape design in its curriculum.
Many famous painters, sculptors and architects of this period are known to us; most of them are household names. But it is difficult to come up with the name of even one landscape architect with the same prestige. Most urban parks and gardens, such as Central Park in New York, and important parks in London and other capitals in Europe and America were created in the preceding 19th century. In Israel as well, most gardens were created as a continuation of 19th century, particularly English, traditions..
Probably one of the most outstanding artists in Israel, who was looking for a change, was Itzhak Danziger (1916-1977). He introduced a new ecological outlook to the rehabilitation of the Nesher quarry; renewed historical-religious interest triggered by his research on "holy trees” and an historical-regional angle in an attempt to create a modern "Bustan".
Recent years have witnessed dramatic changes in Israel. Large projects were established in various parts of the country. Several examples are: the design of Nahal Zin in the Northern Negev by architect Shlomo Aronson; the Sherover Promenade by the same artist, and, perhaps, the most recognizable - the landscaped design of Road No. 6 by teams of architects: Tamar Darel-Fossfeld, Shlomo Aronson, Braudo-Maoz, Grinstein-Hargil, Bruce Levin and Moria-Sekely. These projects not only exemplify professionalism and creativity through the promotion of awareness of our local environment – they are outstanding and important elements of our society. Without the fanfare of an artist’s ego, these large-scale creations are ultimately directed not only towards the elite, but towards the population as a whole.
This recent development is bound to expand, with the new interest in the environment, sometimes called "the green revolution", in Israel and abroad. The "artistic playground" will no longer be limited to galleries and movements, but will extend to larger geographical areas where experiments with new materials and approaches may be expressed.
One area with a special need for such involvement is urban open-space, around buildings, on roof tops, roads and public areas. These spaces could provide relief from the large towers of concrete and glass, all constructed as "hardscapes". "Softscapes", made of trees, bushes, plants, water, earth and other user-friendly materials can influence our lives in more intimate, soft, sometimes humorous, humane and modest ways.
The Bat-Yam Biennale could become a laboratory of such experimental leanings and as such the arts could once again stretch out their hand to the community.
Many thanks should go to the Mayor of Bat-Yam, who agreed to go along with the concept of a landscape exhibition and to his dedicated staff, responsible for implementing its production. Thanks are also due to the Bat-Yam community, for their willingness to participate and to artists from Israel and abroad who have invested so much energy and creativity in this project. First and foremost, however, thanks are due to the curators: Tamar Darel-Fossfeld, Yael Moria-Klain and Sigal Barnir, who undertook this project as a challenge and an opportunity not to be missed, and who, despite numerous obstacles, question marks and perplexing complexity, dared to give it direction, formulate its concept and realize this first kind of event, hopefully to be improved upon and followed by many others. To them, and many others, we extend our thanks and are grateful that we could take part in such an interesting and creative venture.
Martin Weyl,
The Beracha Foundation