Ghost (2003-2004)

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For the making of this work I spent a lot of time in Galilee, among trees that were over 500 years old. The olive trees have a unique significance - they symbolise the bond between the farmer and his ancestors and the land. For that reason they are at the forefront of the current territorial disputes.

 

I took the photographs at midday, when the bright and bleaching sun was hovering mid sky. I overexposed the film by many stops, allowing the harsh and violent sun to attack the film and melt the images of the trees.

 

Later in the darkroom I attempted to rescue the details and the traces from the overexposed and therefore dense negatives. In contrast to the violent and destructive act of exposure, the images that appeared on the paper were frail, delicate and gentle.