Collection

In her work, Bartana refers to the Homa U’Migdal (wall and tower) method applied by Jewish settlers during the Arab revolt between 1936 – 1939 during the British Mandate in Palestine. Despite the ban on annexing new territories, over fifty new settlements were built then. They were usually constructed overnight because the Ottoman law, in force at that time, prohibited the demolition of finished buildings. The hastily built kibuttzes were composed solely of two basic elements – the wall and the tower. Only later were they filled with residential buildings and remaining infrastructure.

Using the propaganda language of the socialist documentary productions, Bartana further recalls the forgotten motif of alternative locations for the state of Israel considered by Zionists, such as Uganda in Africa. The reason for this political fantasy or hallucination is the ambivalent relationship towards the policy and history of the state of Israel with the multitude of conflicts and unfulfilled hopes.