Pearls and Checkpoints

פנינים ונקודות-מעבר

A riddle, threatening to break concrete and rip through the barb-wire, cracked our minds during a 24-hour journey in our very own hometown. Growing up in Jerusalem and leaving

our Hassidic upbringings, had us always traveling along both, the physical and the invisible boundaries of the stitched-together city. We felt an urge to challenge our own perspectives in goal to reframe the boarders we grew up within and around in the city held together by walls of materials and believes. Within a singular day, we arrived to sections that have always been off limits such as Jerusalem’s most orthodox neighbourhood Me’a She’arim, or the Palestine Wall in East Jerusalem— in order to renegotiate the entities of those boarder. Through the use of technology and specifically apps such as Tinder, Airbnb, Instagram and more, we contacted individuals on the other sides of both, the unseen and the fifteen-foot concrete boarders and got as close as we were let in. Our series depicts our final discoveries in the form of both human and still-life images that stood out as small thunderbolts in our exploration process-breaking mistrust and displaying a private, often secret, humanity.

How the project came about: As two natives of the city we no longer live in, we found ourselves in a discussion about how Jerusalem is a place you always know so well and not know at all at the same time. The city, segregated, separated and chopped into sections- both physical and invisible, but felt, sort of “expects” one to remain in their slot. While being aware of Jerusalem’s many forms of life, prior to technology and the introduction of social media platforms, meeting with strangers across different parts of the city was not all the way possible. And far from accessible. We brainstormed of creative ways we can use to make connections with others through those boarders. We’ve come to the realisation, that distance-based apps such as Tinder, Airbnb and geographical -tagging on Instagram could all be ways to communicate and connect with distant strangers. We’ve taken upon ourselves to travel in our own city and use those creative opportunities to connect to others and view the city from many of its cultural identities, forms of life and landscapes.

Bio:

Sarah Meital Benjamin is a Jerusalem native currently living and working in New York city. Sarah works as a casting director for film and fashion focusing on unique character scouting and street casting. Her documentary approach to scouting and true-style story telling has gotten her recognition amongst the fashion community and she had worked with client such as Gucci, Dior, Chanel, and more. In April 2020, she began filming a documentary project focusing on the punk youth scene of Jerusalem which she is currently filming. An Simin Shitrit is a Jerusalem native currently living in Berlin. An graduated from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in 2017. Her photography and mixed media work focuses on her Persian and Moroccan hermitage and a portray of the Hassidic communities in different regions of North Africa and the Middle East. An is currently working on her first photo book which consists of many images of her private family life in Jerusalem’s most secret Hassidic neighbourhood. She will be releasing the book in the fall of 2021.

Credits:

Photography: An Simin @an_simin and Sarah Meital @sarahmeital

Creative production: Baby Production @baby___prod