Creating public art in Jerusalem is complicated.
After all, the city itself is almost a work of art, containing architecture that’s thousands of years old, internationally famous, and religiously vital. Any installation would inevitably be overwhelmed by the Western Wall, David’s Tower, the shuk, or any of the other marvels lurking around every corner.
Instead of competing against the architecture, the recent Jerusalem Festival of Light–which lasted from June 15-22–worked with it. For one week, artists used hanging lanterns, multicolored spotlights, and other optical tricks to dance across stone, illuminate caves, and turn the city of Jerusalem into a whole new work of art. The city-wide exhibition itself was only on display for a short while–but a gallery of vivid, magical photographs has preserved the spectacle for the rest of the world to see.
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