Thoughts and ideas regarding Israely architecture from a time generated point of view

Michael Rona

Senior lecturer, School of Architecture Ariel University of Israel

Thoughts and ideas regarding Israeli architecture from a time generated point of view

1. Civilization is a collective effort taken by people of all cultures and generations since the dawn of humanity. Every generation in every era adds its layer to the never-ending strive to the new - presenting its unique agendas, ideas, values and conflicts that are manifested in texts, art and of course in the physical world – the built environment. Mighty collisions of ideas, religions and politics are evident centuries later in architectural styles, musical genres, scientific discoveries, philosophy and literature. The truths of today were earlier centuries’ conflicts. The accumulation of generations’ creation results in the fascinating conglomerate known as human civilization, evident in one of the greatest human achievements – the city.

2. The City is the physical embodiment of civilization. Consisting of multiple human creations and subject only to human rules and logic using man-made technology – challenging nature. The city carries the signs, prizes and scars of history – layers of generations’ values, hopes, passion and sorrow – cultural layers and physical layers. Like geological layers unravelling the history of the earth and the evolution of life. Humanity has created both physical and metaphysical layers – all evident in the city.

3. Culture manifests its layers in texts as well as works of art recognizable in their historic context. Artistic styles, ideas presented in words as well as useful technology carry the DNA of the former stages of development – like reminiscence of ancient life forms existing in the living organism. These are not physical but abstract layers existing in a human collective memory nourished by education and myth as well as subconscious experience, and so – the term “layer” in this context may be referred to as a metaphor as well as a descriptive one.

4. Physical Environment carries these reminiscences like actual layers – material evidence of former times and eras – the oldest buried, hidden and hinted upon the city’s seen surface. Ancient layers revealed by archeology and more recent ones exist within buildings and streets. Most European cities and towns consist of many layers built on top of each other, naturally co-existing for their inhabitants. They all enrich the physical environment as well as culture and consciousness. These layers carry the blessing of culture as well as the burden of ages of sacred values and artifacts that might slow down ultimately cease the development of the most celebrated cities in the world. It is quite impossible to add new built elements to Rome, Paris Centre and Prague, and so these magnificent environments might stagnate as they carry no reminder of contemporary culture.

5. Cultural Environment is also formed gradually, as each layer adds a new set of forms, values and knowledge. As the world goes through a rapid urbanization process, new cities – free of the burden of former layers – emerge and strive around the globe, creating a mass of efficient and functional cities carrying hardly any cultural depth. Modernism – as a basic paradigm which celebrates the future and the present as a step in the pursuit of the next phase of mankind, takes no interest in former layers due to the basic assumption that the past is irrelevant. Modernistic cities – the Chandigarh architype – are clean, efficient, non-historic environments representing an idea of human logic enabling progress in its scientific sense. It is only natural that a new society as Israel – emerging at the golden era of Modernism – the second half of the twentieth century – would create its cities as modern environments – free of former layers (that actually have a rather partial existence that will be discussed in paragraph 12). Assuming the city is a physical representation of culture, these cities produce a cultural discourse free of layers – clear and comprehensible yet one dimensional and simplistic. The discourse is poor in nuance – a rather flat picture of the world as it is reflected in its inhabitants’ cultural (and possibly intellectual) conscience.

6. Cultural layers exist as reminders and symbols of past, yet meaningful, phases of culture. As Roman civilization persists in Latin languages as a layer in Italian and French culture, carrying the ancient Greek and later Jewish layers migrating through religion – such are numerous other influences penetrating culture evident in means of pronounce, belief, cuisine as well as politics and media. Radical modern artists such as Federico Fellini can be better understood when mastering the history of Catholic Church in Italy as well as learning the nuances of Italian dialects and regions, and the trauma of Fascism. New layers are added in a consistent process throughout time and over the generations, seldomly predicting which contemporary culture will persist to become a substantial brick in the tower of civilization.

7. Architecture has the privilege, and bardon, of being the only art form actively creating a layer – physical as well as cultural. Architects create the monuments of their times which reflect its values and customs, aesthetics and typologies. Unlike other forms of art – even the least celebrated and anonymous of architects leave their contribution to their time’s layer – simply by planning and building even the humblest house on a side street. It is most likely that Brunelleschi was well-aware of his role in history but are most day to day hard working architects of utilitarian buildings conscious of their role in the layering of culture? Could architects be aware of the combination of values, aesthetics and fashion defined as Zeitgeist – spirit of the times – manifested in their work, which will become a future reminiscent of their generation? Should architecture take place in the discourse about these layers? The modernist movement’s answer to the last question was clear. That was the era of revolution – of a new clean slate, and modernism was not a style but a state-of-mind. By the end of the century tastes and values had changed and former layers had returned to demand their role in architecture practice and theory.

8. Generations are defined by time as well as outstanding events such as wars, plague or great discoveries. Layers of culture are tiers of knowledge and effort composed by numerous people – artists, craftsmen, and poets – at their time and generation. The Renaissance was an era and had its generation of innovative values and revolutionary achievements. Each generation bears its values, habits and slang. Each generation adds its values and beliefs to the layers of time. Some generations value revolution while other react to their predecessors. The twentieth century brought the discourse of generations to the front of a cultural conflict. Great disasters defined the generations who took part in the world wars as well as their successors. Ages of modernism – huge scientific and technologic leaps sparked revolutions as well as romantic perceptions of youth and ‘youngness’ (a term used by Bob Dylan referring to the early 60’s arising movement of what will become counter-culture). The second half of the twentieth century was dominated by the expectation of youngsters to rebel and thus push society to its next political and cultural phase. These paradigms did not exist only 60 years earlier as described in Steffen Zweig’s autobiography The world of Yesterday. We are all born into the present – thrown into a world designed by former generations. We strive to learn its ways and are demanded to obey its rules. As we mature and understand our positions and aspirations as adults, we, in our turn, take place in the never-ending task of adding another layer to culture.

9. Young People enter the adults’ world with the unique opportunity of doubting their predecessors’ assumptions and values. Some of humanity’s greatest leaps were result of youngsters’

rebellion against existing paradigms. The expectation of youngsters’ rebellion is in itself a cultural value of time – referring, as mentioned before, to the age of revolutions of the past century. Most leading practitioners and teachers of architecture are baby boomers and X-generations – Regarding originality and authenticity with a sense of conflict with existing or imaginary ‘establishments’ (without referring to the actual practice of life and economy…). These expectations, when implemented on students and young architects, might lead to disappointment: The vast majority of Israel’s young generation shows no sign of revolting. On the contrary – We are currently witnessing a Renaissance of the pre-state Jewish communities’ heritage and folklore. The ages of great revolutions – of the ‘New Jew’ in the brave new world, the utopian society of pioneers, has given way to a loving look at almost forgotten customs expressed in culinary, religious sentiment and a strong sense of family.

10. Filling the Void paradoxically, and understandably – the young Israelis’ rebellion is actually an embracement of the missing layers of culture. As Israeli society seeks normality after decades of struggling over the creation of a new people and state – Its youngsters are filling the void created by the modernist and Zionist revolutions. This cultural trend is can be observed in music, literature and art and is part of an attempt to establish a long-lasting identity for a community that shares an ancient heritage but practically lacks a recent mutual past.

11. Architectural Void is most evident in Israeli cities – mostly in those established during the twentieth century, displaying a vast majority of non-descript modernistic cubes bearing no ornament – one-layer environments with no past. The few rather old cities are actually Palestinian towns demolished or heavily damaged in the wars and regarded for many years as enemy heritage rather than an option of enriching the environmental culture. The architectural, unlike the cultural void is practically impossible to fill – having no source to refer to and no past layers to dwell upon. Israeli architects are very easy on the trigger of plan and design – we are creating new volumes on a daily basis, envied by our rather horrified European colleagues who probably regard us as irresponsible. Israeli architects are skilled in a Tabula Rasa way of thought and practice – creating the new with hardly any ‘old’, with which one can build an intellectual structure of architectural theory and sensitivity. This sense of ‘instant’ architecture is mutual to the next-generation architects since we all practice architecture in the same modernist non-historic surrounding. Basically, although we have aspirations and conversations about locality, and although some sensitivity of conservation is being achieved – Israeli architecture exists in a single layer intellectual manner.

12. A missing layer which belonged to the native Palestinian inhabitants – whose settlements were partially demolished in war, or heavily neglected – exists physically above and below the surface but is mostly overseen by Israelis. As Israel is an immigrants’ society with a strong ideological sense of reviving an ancient culture – Israelis tend to ignore former rulers of the country’s reminiscent, that are anyway quite scares – since it’s rather provincial location. Adding the political conflict still active and present can explain the deprivation of Arab and Palestinian urban and Architectural tissue but not justify it. Yet at the few locations taking advantage of the Palestinian layer of the city – such as the old quarters of Jaffa – acting as the old city of modernistic Tel-Aviv – one can be impressed by a lively full dimensional urban culture. This at itself rises deep questions of Ethics – having an urban structure being used happily by the culture that deprived its original inhabitants of their hometown

13. The Next Layer is created, one way or another, by architects. As young Israelis derive on the next layers from the past, Israeli architects should be occupied with the question of the role of the new physical layer role in environmental culture. Should the new urban layers added swiftly to our cities carry values of ‘old’ architecture – ornament and detailing severely missing on modernist facades? Can we even try to fill in the time gaps of the missing layers or should we just look to the future? Would it be dishonest to even try to fill in these voids? Should we regard our lack of former layers as a professional and cultural drawback or an advantage allowing us self-expression denied from our European colleagues practicing in highly sensitive environments caged in their historic layers?

14. Florence and Jerusalem share the mutual character of being extraordinary bright exemplars of past human greatness. Both – especially Florence, touch perfection. Both cities are extremely vulnerable to physical development and changes, and thus raise the fundamental question of the validity of next layers: Are we allowed to interfere these environments with contemporary additions? By avoiding addition – are we condemning historical iconic cities to become mummies – bright yet vacant? Taking the risk of adding new layers – What could be the authentic and relevant statement of our time? Instructing and reviewing their projects and processes, as well as discussing with Italian colleagues, whose points of view are often opposite, had brought up these questions.

The annually S.P.A.C.E. seminar brings art and architecture students from both cities to together in joint studios challenging them to deal with the subjects and questions mentioned in this article. The young architects and artists to be are requested to review their personal and social values as well as the Zeitgeist – the spirit of our time – and express their creative conclusions as design proposals for projects in the cities of Jerusalem and Florence. As Israeli architects are practicing in a historic void, Italians are almost paralyzed by the depth and weight of former layers – leaving them to encounter similar questions – left with no clear answers but with many intriguing challenges.