Jerusalem Design Week: Artists 'Face East' during Jerusalem Design Week
Updated 17:29, 09-Jul-2019
Facing east. That's the theme of this year's Jerusalem Design Week - an annual platform for dozens of international artists and designers to show off their creations. The east theme incorporates interpretations of the Middle East and Asia constructed by international and Israeli artists who have lived and designed in China. CGTN's Stephanie Freid visited the exhibition.
EREZ ELLA, FOUNDING PARTNER HQ ARCHITECTS, JERUSALEM "The building is oriented north-south and once we oriented that in ninety degree - the name of the installation - in the end, you find yourself looking to the east - the actual east."
The vision for revamping Jerusalem's former leper hospital came partially from Ella's China-inspired architectural work on Beijing's CCTV building.
EREZ ELLA, FOUNDING PARTNER HQ ARCHITECTS, JERUSALEM "In Israel many years we looked to the west - we wanted to be western. When I was working in Beijing - in China - I suddenly realized there's a whole new world and it's promising, it's exciting, it's new and in many ways, it can be the future."
His China experiences interface with this year's Design week Facing East theme featuring exhibits and works inspired by Eastern and Middle Eastern evolutions.
Traditional elements were introduced into modern designs. Wedding embroidery superimposed on porcelain, a Zen flower arrangement in non-traditional vase, multimedia displays challenging old stereotypes.
STEPHANIE FREID JERUSALEM "One of the hugely popular exhibits - opening night only - this futuristic Shanghai club. Come on in and check it out with me."
HADAS ZUCKER, CURATOR JERUSALEM "We really want people to understand a little bit the intensity and the energy and a lot of stuff that exists in China today, a sense of energy that doesn't exist anywhere in the world today."
Artists from fifty countries, including India, Israel, China and Japan contributed works to the event.
STEPHANIE FREID, CGTN, JERUSALEM.