Wind Memory #2 Nirit Ben Meir Time: Around 2011, Winter
Location: Mount Scopus, Jerusalem
Interviewer: Jiuming Duan
Interviewed time: 14th April 2021
When you ask about the special story about the wind, it suddenly came into my mind even though it wasn't something I was really thinking about. But when you talk about the wind, it suddenly came up because it was so intense and so strong. The presence of the wind over there in that specific space and I was studying on that mountain it is called ‘Mount Scopus’ in Jerusalem. And my Academy for my BA was there at Bezalel. And I would have to climb every day to get to my campus. It was a really steep kind of climbing because the bus stop was down the hill and then I had to climb the hill. It was facing this Valley which was very low, and you know finally this valley is going very low until it gets to the Dead Sea which is the lowest place on the planet. So, it is a really, really big gap. I think maybe this is part of the reason why the wind there is so strong and so harsh.
Also, when it's winter it gets really cold on the Jerusalem hills and then I would have to wear so many layers just because I knew I would have to climb this. When I was studying in the Academy, I had this really large folder because I had to carry my paintings and sketches. I have this really large folder and I knew it was going to be a battle. To climb up the hill with the folder because the folder attracted the wind. And there was one time the wind was so strong, and it was so cold and then it just took my folder away and it opened up then some of my sketches flew out and I was really shocked. But I was also amazed by how strong the wind can be and how it can just take things away from me just in a minute. I think that I worked just flew way then I had to say goodbye to those sketches. Some of them I could collect, some of them just flew away I just couldn’t see them again. But it was also quite beautiful to see the papers flying down the valley.
I think it's also maybe a strong feeling because it did take something that I was working on, so it was important to me. Not just an umbrella or something but something kind of important. I also think it kind of resembled the struggle I had in this period of time. Because when you study, you are under pressure. You struggle with your studies, so this climb kind of was a metaphor for what I was feeling generally in that time.
Is that area very windy all the time? Yes. I guess in the summertime it may be calmer and not that windy. But there are some periods of time, especially winter and fall, the wind is really really tough. There is also not a lot of trees over the hills, so there is nothing making it slower, like very exposed.
When did this happen around. Was it a few years ago? Oh, yeah. I know it was I think 10 years ago.
That is quite amazing that you still remember this impressed memory. I was surprised as well just this one came up, not other recent things. I didn’t know it had a big impact on me after all.
Can you describe the environment around you at that time? N: There was the campus itself. Most buildings are built from Jerusalem stone, which is a local stone. A kind of limestone, cut these really big blocks off the limestones and the buildings are made of that one. So, the campus is built from those stones as well. And it was really at the end of the hill, so apart from that, one side have the campus like 7 or 8 floors and on the other side it just has the other mountains, which have no buildings. Just mountains. And the valley itself. It is like a very dramatic scenery.
Your climbing is on the edge of the hill. You have the campus here, and whatever you see around there is just the valley and some other hills but lower. So, it is an open view. Everything is very exposed. And you can see on a good day, you could see almost through the valley towards the Dead Sea. But most of the time it is kind of dust so you don’t see it. I think on the hill in my back there is another hill, which is quite tall and there is a cemetery there and also maybe a church. And the hill is
very dry. They don’t have much vegetation. So, it is like a dry area. It looks like a desert.
Lots of tensions in the same space, so I guess maybe it is part of the feeling and the wind is there. And it was very dramatic and intense, which makes you face all of those tensions.
How do you feel about the difference between the wind in this experience and the wind in the other places? It is an interesting question. When I try to answer the survey, so at first, I was thinking about the wind and my first feeling about the wind was very calm and pleasant kind of feeling you know, like a breeze you ears and goes very gently over your face and hair. It’s like I was thinking about it in a very positive and calming sense. But then I tried to figure out like ok but where you know I was trying to think about a certain scenario with the wind. Like a certain story or like you said something that had a big impression on me. And then I realised that it was actually this experience which the wind was quite harsh. I had to like battle with it. This kind of surprised me because generally view would say the wind I will always feel like is a very friendly kind of thing, I guess. Something that I want to feel and be accompany with the wind, which is good, pollinating flowers and breezing our air. It’s good thing. But this experience specifically, I'm not saying that it was a bad wind, but it was just a very strong and tense experience. Not just gentle.
Do you think there is a certain type of wind that can represent that place or your hometown? It is not my hometown, but I did live there for a few years. I think maybe the characteristic of the wind is the volume. The volume of the wind could definitely express the experience or feeling of a space.
The location of Mount Scopus
The Dead Sea can be reached by going down the valley
If I would like you to use one object to represent the perception of the wind or the sound, which one would you like to choose? It could be something related to the memory. As you mentioned the sword. Yeah, sword was just coming to my mind when I tried to express it, so it could be a sword. It kind of relates to my experience of this battle, the strength, and how it is very fast. It’s fast and strong and it's very hard to battle. It could also be a vehicle, that is really, really fast. You cannot control it. If I would take it a little bit away, I would maybe choose a really large ball or large rock, rolling or something like. That could also be something that represents that moment.
Nirit using her breath to describe the sound of the wind