Waters from above and waters from below

Since the dawn of history, the existence of life has been dependent on water. Water originates from rainfall, which is divided into visible water (typified by visual and physical expression above the surface, such as lakes, springs, and streams) and hidden water (that is without visual expression and located below the surface, such as groundwater). At the beginning of human history we settled around these water sources, and, with the development of technology, we learned to channel the water. In doing so, we separated residential areas from agricultural areas based on natural water sources. With the help of technology, we channeled the water to other, often distant, regions. Further, alongside natural water sources man-made water sources were created, often hidden from view and far from awareness, such as via infrastructures hidden behind a fence with no access or observation point.  

The project attempts to tell the contemporary water story, tying everything together in an integrated system: visible and hidden water, and natural and artificial elements. Revealing the story of water in the state of Israel, which is known to be arid, will highlight this resource as an important aspect of survival. In a country that is becoming more crowded, and where exposure to open spaces and nature is ever-diminishing, green and “blue” areas have many advantages in terms of ecological and environmental aspects, as well as in terms of human aspects such as well-being and mental health. The project deals with the discovery, dissemination, and exposure of the Moshav water transportation system between Gush Dan and the Negev while appropriating man-made resources as part of green areas. The project proposes the creation of axes that connect natural and man-made water from north to south, passing through sewage and effluence reservoirs; streams; water technologies; and local, productive as well as historical nature, and connecting city center areas to the periphery.