The Workshop
'The Workshop', a video art installation I shot for the artist Gilad Ratman, is a multi-channel site-specific installation at the Israeli Pavilion for the 55th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.
The Workshop documents the journey of a community of people from Israel to Venice, through a non-linear presentation of video, installation, sound and a physical intervention in the fabric of the Pavilion itself. By breaking up the screen and the space of the pavilion Ratman meditates on the dichotomy of a surface and what lies beyond it. Considering Israel participation in a more political view, The Workshop's site-specificity by Ratman's art reflects on the Biennale as a Utopian model of nations' connectivity or as a world where transit can take place across national borders in hidden networks.
The project consisted of some very difficult shooting conditions - including a large cast and remote underground locations.
The caves sequences where an exceptional challenge - shot in real caves around Israel - some requiring shooting while literally crawling with no electricity.
For this propose I used the (then) new Canon C-300 with it's low light shooting capabilities and compact build.
For lighting the cave interiors we utilized as much Practical lights we could get - headlights and flashlights - which where augmented with large lightpads we could carry to the caves.
Check out 'the Workshop' presentation boards here.
Commissioned by the Israel Ministry for Culture and Sport.
News from the Project
Compilation of three of the four videos that are distributed in different spaces across the Pavilion.
installation view at the 55th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Top left: Gilad Ratmans interview for the Biennale di Venezia Channel.
Part of the cast of 'The Workshop' getting ready for shooting in one more cave.