In situ — Latin for “in place” — describes an object or finding that
remains in its original location, within the context in which it
existed and functioned. In archaeology, its significance lies not
only in form or materiality, but also in its position, relationship
to its surroundings, and the layers of time, use, and memory
carried with it. In this sense, in situ also suggests a mode of
attentive listening — to the object, the space, and the traces of
time inscribed in both.
The exhibition In Situ takes place in the former building of the
National Library of Israel in Jerusalem, as it undergoes a
transformation in appearance and purpose. The former house of
books is becoming a multidisciplinary social space comprising
artists’ studios, offices, a café, and spaces for gathering and
creative activity. No longer what it once was, yet not fully what
it will become, the building inhabits a state of in-betweenness —
between past and future, former function and new life.
Sha’ananot, a collective of six Jerusalem-based women artists
and the first art collective to establish a studio in the building,
works through sustained engagement with the site. The works
emerge from processes of shedding, dismantling, preservation,
and renewal, lingering on moments when things change status: a
functional object becomes a remnant, archival material becomes
raw material, and a familiar space acquires new meaning.
The artists employ practices of observation, collection, and
transformation. Through the camera, they recompose the
building’s spaces and details; they dismantle and reassemble
images and objects, intervene within the space, gather
remnants, and draw upon materials from the site and its archive.
A work may begin with a glance, a found object, an architectural
detail, a fragment of space, or an image removed from its
original context. The building and its contents thus become both
subject and material, as well as a field of action.
In Situ dwells within the metamorphosis itself — where objects
and spaces change location, function, and meaning while
continuing to carry traces of where, and what, they once were.
It considers what is preserved, what is erased, and what is born
anew.
